Thursday, December 09, 2004

150th Post to this Blog!

I may have a chance to come and see you working in the mirror room tomorrow afternoon but, if not, it sounds to me like you're doing good work. I'm looking forward to first night!

Monday: everyone must be at the Studio Theatre at 9.00 am. Don't be late (Dana, Elina, this means you!). I know it's early but we're going to have to start then to make sure we get through everyone's showing before 1.00 when the space is needed for another class. The running order may change, but my understanding is that Suspect Culture are on 5th. You are expected to watch all of the other performances, except the one directly before yours when you are allowed to be getting ready for your own performance.

Happy rehearsing

Dan Rebellato

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Feedback

Here's the feedback I didn't get a chance to mention:

  • Phil your tone and speed of delivery is perfect, you bring a lot to the piece, but you need to be louder. There will probably be a lot of laughs from the audience in your scenes, so be prepared to leave pauses while they laugh before your next line (Kim should be aware of this as well). When you say 'Lucky heather?' to Kim, try holding out both hands as though you actually have the heather in them, at the moment it just doesn't look convincing. Really liked the bit where you took out your mobile when saying "Yeah, we gypsies are crazy about being mobile" and how you played about with it during the rest of your conversation - keep it up! Finally, in the migration dances be conscious of your walk, as you put your hands out slightly and sway too much. Keep it very neutral.
  • Julia I really liked the way you did the travelling gesture after Kim did it in the gypsy scene, it looked fantastic. During the Barriers scene, I think it's you that has the phone converstaion in Italian? But seriously, I can't hear you! Come to the front of the stage if you must, but really raise your volume.
  • Kelly you're doing some lovely work in terms of gesture imitation within your scenes, keep it up.
  • Annie perfect. Pace, tone, speed, pauses, placement, gesture work. You = fab. Another thing that I nearly applauded was the way you raised your voice when you delivered lines away from the audience. Everyone should do this.
  • Rachael Loving the emotion that is coming through in your lines, but you need to be louder.
  • Claire I want to thank you for the brilliant work you've done with music. It's perfect. I do, however, have reservations about having music when Phil says her jigsaw speech in the toilet scene. I don't know what Lauren thinks, but I found it was too much. Also, I think the musical interludes should last a good 7-10 seconds to give everyone a chance to move about the space and do their gesture sequences.
  • Everyone In the last migration dance, don't wait for Annie to start, all start at the same time.

Ok, enough from me for now! Well done again, both Lauren and I we're really impressed and thankful for all the effort you guys have put in.

See you tomorrow!

Alice Hansen

Wednesday's Rehearsal

Hi everyone, I'd like to start by thanking all those who made tonight's rehearsal, I thought it went really well, the piece is coming together very nicely. For those who couldn't make it, here is a round up of the main decisions and of what you need to think about/get/do before our next rehearsal.
  • We did an exercise which helped us generate personal gesture sequences. In this way, each performer should have 5 gestures that they relate to homesickness, etc. For Dana, Elina and Rachael, this is what we would like you to do: Standing with your eyes closed, begin by doing the gesture for homesickness that we have been using throughout the piece. Then try to think of a gesture that to you epitomises being safe and secure at home. Then think of a gesture for travelling (not necessarily the back-pack one), trying to get home/reaching for home/feeling stretched and for your personal physical responses when you feel homesick; e.g. tummy ache, head ache, etc. Learn these and play around with the order in which you do them, making sure each gesture follows fluidly and smoothly into the next. They need to be very clear and pronounced gestures that look very slick when put together. These sequences are going to be used at the very start of the piece before the migration dance and during musical interludes throughout the piece, which have now been incorporated (we'll explain where and when in tomorrow's rehearsal).
  • The last Costa coffee scene has been cut.
  • We've decided to ditch the slinkies. Although they do connect to themes within the script, they just don't work. We want to keep the train station setting really clear throughout the 12 minute section, and the slinkies are too distracting.
  • Costume-wise, everyone is in their own clothes, but ones you would wear if you were about to go on a long plane journey; eg baggy trousers, jeans, t-shirts, etc. Phil will be wearing a jacket.
  • The only props that will be used are mobile phones, which all performers should bring with them to rehearsals from now on.
  • Things you can do when not performing your scenes: Your migration dance, train station improvisations like watch-checking, talking on mobile, sitting down, etc., Sunday movements, echo gestures of people acting in scenes (a la the 'ripples of gesture' idea).

Alice Hansen


Some Admin

Hi guys, just a few things to report. Our rehearsal on Monday became more of a technical sort-out, and I want to reinforce that if Claire/Ania/Sam have anything else they need to discuss, they should just send me and Lauren a text and we'll sort things out.

Because not a lot of people could make the Monday rehearsal, that means that Wednesday's is more important, and that everyone should really try to be there. I'm hoping we can do some run-throughs without scripts. Could those who have slinkies bring them along as well.

Thanks for now!

Alice Hansen

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Filming

Hey guys, sorry I didn't make it to today's lesson, thanks to Waterloo being closed due to "engineering works" and thanks to missing my train I couldn't make it here in time for the lesson but….don't worry! Everything is under control, The only filming I need to do is with a few people and just of them staring blankly into the camera for a minute each or so, I'm going to ask people who I haven't got in the projection yet so you get your chance too!

Namely: Elina, Rachael, Dana and Kim.

When in the week would be best for people, Wednesday?

Sam Wood

No PJs

Having watched more of the SC videos myself and Lauren were discussing my use of PJ's and we decided that SC didn't really use costume as symbolism. And so don't rush out and get some new pyjama's we've decided that just wearing our own clothes would better parallel Suspect Culture's ideas. So not all in black, just whatever you want to wear!

Annie Rook

Monday, December 06, 2004

Class Links

For reference, here are hyperlinks to all the posts outlining each week's class:

Dan Rebellato


Class: Week Ten

Today's run was very encouraging. There's some lovely work going on. I've given a few notes to Alice but on the whole I was pleased and impressed by what I saw.

I saw good work from everyone, but I want to mention a few particular achievements (not being on this list does not imply criticism or dissatisfaction with your work):
  • In the opening migration dance, Kelly is doing exactly the right facial expression. Neutral, serious.
  • Philippa: you are hilarious throughout.
  • Julia: I noticed that you picked up volume and clarity in the second run without destroying the gentle emotionality of your vocal tone. This was a good note for all I thought.
  • Annie: you are claiming the audience's attention for the phone calls very well.
  • Elina: I liked the simplicity that you brought to the line "I just felt really lonely". It's because its unfussy and plain that it becomes rather moving.
  • Dana: you bring a nice emotional quality to the 'what for should you cry?' line. It's not melodramatic, just very heartfelt.

It works best when it's very slick, very controlled, rather minimal - think of Mainstream for performance style. The gestural stuff is very good - I particularly liked what Alice says below about 'ripple gestures' and I'd urge you to work further on these. I would ask you to check your lines - when you approximate or half-remember them, you tend to 'normalise' them. It's better if you retain the oddness of them.

Obviously the piece will be marked next week. What we will be looking for is how far you demonstrate a practical understanding of the Suspect Culture performance style and attitude. Do bear this in mind; it should give you confidence to go with the harsher, more abstract, cool performance style you were displaying at moments today. I think you have the makings of a serious, adult, artistically sophisticated show in Homesick and I'm impressed with the way it's going.

There were two minuscule thoughts I had about rewriting:

  • Annie: could you extend the line in your snail speech to "Just a shell on my back and a mucopolysaccharide slime trail". (Just because (a) the rhythm's better and (b) you're all excellent at saying unsayable lines.)
  • Elina: the scene may go but if it stays could you cut this line down to "Another Baileys, Auntie*?" [*or, if you have a preferable familiar word for some relative, even in Greek maybe, use that.]

Please continue to report back on rehearsals or offer ideas on the blog. I look forward to watching the show.

Dan Rebellato

Sunday, December 05, 2004

A Helping Hand

Just a quick blog girls. I was browsing on the internet earlier today to try and find some more information on the wonderful Suspect Culture. There wasn't too much to find, but I did read some reviews and two interesting points came out, which could be of assistance to the actors... A review of 8000m said that SC are a company who fascinate audiences for they take risks, 'risks which have sometimes left me speechless with deserved amazement. (I'm not sure we'll be obtaining that, but it's worth a try!) The second was a review of Mainstream, which basically agreed with the play's issues, saying that we are all alternatives. We believe in the mainstream, for sure, but we harbour too many secrets, have too many quirks to count ourselves as part of it... If we start thinking about the characters in SC's plays we begin to notice a familiarity running right through them... They all have quirky, alternative characters.

Hope this is of a helping hand...

Julia Angeli

Gesture

After watching Timeless we started to dispute on subject such as gesturers reflecting the homesickness.

We were searching for some appropriate gestures that would express /mirror one's feelings. So as our performance is structured in three parts: Migration dance, then a 12 minute piece and at the end once more a migration dance. In a bit where you act different situations - for example Annie is talking on a mobile phone with her mother - at the same time some other people are continuing their everyday routine (for example Elena) so what I thought when some people walk into each other they should interact in certain way…for example, those people could remain still for 3 seconds, look into their eyes (expressing their need - in search for something they are longing in somebody else what they used to be familiar with within their homeland routine). I think Alice you quite liked that idea and maybe we could try to rehearse it next Monday.

Anna Nieczuja-Ostrowska