Hold on tightly, let go lightly

We have a big problem. It's a problem we've had for about a week now and we've all been putting off, hoping that it'll go away, but of course it hasn't. We had 50 pieces for the soiree and we need to have about 20 maximum.

We showed 19 pieces this evening and told the profs that we had another 20 for Monday. In fact it's another 30. Then we had the third meeting this week where we all talked about it all alot and no one was able to make any decisions.

It is a bit killing to know that we're going to have to get rid of pieces that work, though we all know which pieces work better than others, it's just that we're not admitting it to ourselves.

This hasn't been helped by the teachers who, Jos espcially, have been very 'nice' about all the stuff we've been presenting. Either we have all finally managed to achieve a good level of work, or they want to pick our confidence levels up after the en-gueling we had last week. That would make sense - to finish their teacher-mentor relationship on a good note before we're released alone into the commands.

It also could be the most important lesson we learn, to really truely look at the work that you're doing and see if it's good or not. I thought lots of the commands last year lacked self-rigour. I hope we can all learn from this experience and do better.

Even though it's mad and busy and I'm very tired, I'm really enjoying it. I'm having a nice soiree.

The art of loosing things

Why is it always when you are at your most busy and stressed that you loose your doorkeys? A question particularly pertinent this evening. Fortunately my friend W has my spare set. Perhaps is was a freudian desire to stay at school all night and keep working on my pieces. They all certainly need it.
I ended up sitting on a bench outside her house for a very long time talking all the soiree maddness over. Everyone has a different brand of stress. So it's very late now, but I need to unwind a little, so I'm listening to 'Mir ist so wunderbar' and I'm going to read some carol ann duffy poems before I go to sleep to make everything happy... and I'm drinking hot chocolate.

Go and see this film immediately now

You need to go and see this film immediately. It's the best film I've seen in years. It made me cry even though I was reading french subtitles to a german film. Nuff said.

Any dream will do

There's an interview in the Observer magazine this morning with Andrew Lloyd Webber who had found new, or rather, more fame on two television programmes which I'm happy to say I've missed, being out of the UK. The first, 'How do you solve a problem like Maria', was basically a televised talent competition for young girls, the prize being a contract to play Maria Von Trapp in 'The Sound of Music' at the Palladium. It was an enormous success and has been succeeded by another version of the same, but this time to find a Joseph for Lloyd W's 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat'.

I grew up in the 80's and as a stagestruck child have to admit to knowing most of the music and lyrics to most LW songs. Set me off and I could probably still sing my way through most of Phantom, Joseph, Jesus Christ Superstar etc. Very shameful.

Or maybe less so now as it seems everyone has decided that it's ok to like him again now he's on TV with Graham Norton and giving out jobs in the west end. There was of course lots of kerfuffle with equity, the British actor's union about this, and I think Trevor Nunn refused to direct the first one. (Tragic loss). But actually auditions are already a circus and as LW points out he'd probably have never have met the winner of Maria without this.

What's interesting as well is that it highlights, and is some ways proves, the public suspicions that acting is not a difficult job and that they could do just as well given the chance. And here they are doing just as well for Norton and LW and then getting a nice job in the west end - that was easy, wasn't it!

But there you are. They did and have and so to some respects it is true. There are so many actors and so many talented non actors out there and everyone quite fancies having a go.

So what then do we have to offer that is different and special?

I'm thinking of this especially in relation to our cabaret autocours. Lots of us did cabaret things badly. At one point Paola asked us if we were acrobats, singers, contortionists etc. No? No. We're actors even though there are people in the class who can do some of those things as well. Is it enough? I don't know.

The arts council is particularly keen to fund street theatre and circus or acrobat type things. And I do understand why. Their physicality is amazing, the effects they can create.

But I do still believe that when we get it right, when our imaginations and our skills as actors are at their best, they are amazing. I don't think we should get angry about these programmes, I think we should just do better and never, ever produce crap theatre. Every crap show kills theatre a little more.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,2081836,00.html

A Big Bath of Blood or Goodbye to autocours

I think no one will thank me for putting on these pictures tonight following a massive slaughter session from the teachers about our attempts at Cabaret. Not unexpected as this was our last autocours and we've had an extremely crap and unmotivated week. Lots of people ill and even absent.
It is amazing that that is the last autocours. No more ok merci in that format. So here's for old time sakes...

Scriptwriters

I've fallen into the great youtube hole again. janeeye112 and jamiealias have very kindly put the whole of the recent Austen adaptations on youtube in 5-10 minute sections. Perfect for those with short attention spans, like me.

I'm calling this research as I'm in the throws of writing chick lit for a competition in Cosmo and Jane Austen is of course the original and best (discuss) chick lit.

I get very cross with the scriptwriters though, who change the original for the worse. These haven't changed too much of the plot, though they have changed some of it. Why? Do they seriously think they are better than Austen? And then they leave out the best bits. They water down gems of characters into wishy-washy versions of the brilliant originals. For example - horrid Mr Thorpe in Northanger Abbey contiually talking about how fast his horse and cart go, lying out right and ignoring what Catherine says is made bearable. Why? Why? Isabella is far less artificial and amusing than in the book. etc etc. Just a few irritating examples.

And Persuasion, already pointless after the amazing version with Amanda Root and Ciran Hinds a few years ago which was so immaculately scripted and directed and acted. Rupert Penry Jones has the depth of a puddle compared to Ciran Hinds. They change the plot to make it worse. Stupid, stupid.

What is so brilliant about Austen is that she is still relevant now. Anne is left on the shelf, a singleton at 30 with the same fears as Bridget Jones, or some of them.

It's Andrew Davies responsible again. I know everyone else likes him but I DON'T!!

And where is my Mr Tilney, humm?

Oh dear. This is very bad. I am really becoming a sad youtuber. Soon I will be having violent internet discussions with people with odd pseudonyms as to whether the 95 or 05 version of Pride & Predjudice is better and making montages of costume dramas set to cheesy 80's music. Aggh! No more internet. Real life please.

I hate sport

This is opposing the reallocation of resources to the Olympics of which the
35% reduction of grants for the arts is a part. To submit your name to this
petition click on this link:

('http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/lotteryolympics/');
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/lotteryolympics/

It has already passed the minimum requirement of 200 signatures to get an
official response from Number 10 when the petition closes on 16 September
2007. If it gets to 40,000 signatures it would make it into the top 5 most
popular petitions on the site! Currently, the petition in the number 4 spot
is 'Continue funding for the Royal Air Force Aerobatics Team'. Surely in
the
arts world we are able to gather a similar if, not larger number, of
supporters.

Very popular petitions seem to generate responses from the Prime Minister
prior to the petition closing, so this really is a great way to draw the
attention to our widespread concern and opposition to the proposed 35%
reduction in Grants for the Arts funding.

Do forward this email on to colleagues, friends, and collaborators
encouraging them to add their name to the petition.

And do please sign the petition. You must be a
UK citizen, UK resident, ex-patriate or serving
in HM Forces abroad to sign.There are currently 5,739 signatures.

A load of crap.

This is my horoscope for tomorrow. Okay. I know they're a load of bollocks, but honestly, it's not exactly encouraging is it? I mean, why bother....

Take care not to overreact today. Your biorhythms are low, and in fact you may be feeling a bit under the weather. There is no point in trying to fool everyone with a cheerful front. They will see through your facade soon enough. You would be best served by spending time on independent activities. That way you can spend long stretches of time in bed, where you were meant to be today.

On the other hand, I could just take it entirely literally and spend all day in bed reading. Ahh. what a lovely thought. But then I would miss out on my lovely lovely school and I don't want to do that.

Out with the old...

Tony Blair has announced he will stand down as prime minister on 27 June.

He made the announcement in a speech to party activists in his Sedgefield constituency, after earlier briefing the Cabinet on his plans.

He acknowledged his government had not always lived up to high expectations but said he had been "very blessed" to lead "the greatest nation on earth".

He will stay on in Downing Street until the Labour Party elects a new leader - widely expected to be Gordon Brown

And of course at the same time here in France we have welcomed Sarkozy as the new President of the Republic, which is extremely frightening, but not at all unexpected. Every night here in Paris, and all over France there have been pros tests/riots. In Paris they've been based around Bastille. Rather pathetically I've stayed away, not only because I fear physical injury (hence my difficulties with acrobacy) but also because I don't think that an English person should go and protest about how the French make their political decisions.

'Hey you froggies! You picked wrong! Bad decision!' How could I say that after all those years of Thatcher, though in some ways he does make her look tame.

But this is essentially what the French are doing.
'Hey, we choose badly! We picked wrong! And now we're going to have (another) manifestation about it. Yeah!'

And as the British say goodbye to Blair and hello to Brown, and the French hello to Sarko we are getting ready to say goodbye to Lecoq and another wave of students, all eager beaver and full of their own ideas (which are definitely better and more interesting than everyone else's in the group) just like us appear. (Ok, slightly tenuious link to lecoq, I know!)

For a moment these changes seem important and momentous and then they happen and you get used to them and it just becomes another part of your life.

I will be so sad to say goodbye to some friends. The close friends who'll be going back to the other side of the world. I already know from having my brother and sister-in-law and baby nephew (who I may perhaps have mentioned occasionally before now) in Chicago that maintaining a relationship by skype is difficult. And more than that, the friendship is irrevocably changed and will never, can never be the same again, it's so linked to a time and a place. Sometimes it's sadest when a relationship changes so much from what it was it would be better if it ended at the happy time.

And sometimes not. Imagine what fun we'll have if we can manage a reunion 10 years from now? Catching up on 10 years of gossip. 'You married who!!??' 'Her play was a success?!!' etc etc.

10 years on from my last drama school and I think I'm pretty much the only female actor in my class whose still working, or attempting to work. Very scary. It's one profession for men and another for women...

All the more reason to make these last few weeks count before this magic time ends. I'm nostaglic for the present.

Whoops! There goes my trousers!

There's something about doing theatre that takes you over. It's one of those 'actory' things you have to beware of saying, but at the same time I think is true. I'd noticed it before coming to Lecoq in relation to playing different characters. Spending weeks or even months trying to be someone else, think like them, move like them and act like them seeps into you. Similar parts of your own personality emerge more strongly and you take on aspects of the character's.

How much worse then, not just one character, but a whole theatrical style. We're doing Burlesque at the moment which is what they call Charlie Chaplin, (Charlo the french call him) Buster Keaton, Marx Brother etc. Lots of prat falls and getting hit but not actually hurt and apologising. I LOVE it. I obviously have a very lowest common denominator sense of humour.

My very kind friend J**** came round to help me fix my bed tonight. I really owe him one! (You see, I can't get out of burlesque - or is that carry on?) We came straight from an evening of rehearsing our own respective cascade sequences and it became 'the bed fixing routine'. Already conversation like 'Oh my bed is broken! How did that happen?' is along those lines. Then all the 'have you got it in yet? Push harder!' dialogue. Stepping on something under the bed and hearing the crunch of breaking glass. Pushing an enormous piece of chipboard into an oil painting (nearly). Manoeuvring huge mattresses and pieces of chipboard around in 16m2. It was absurd. And of course, of course finally fixing it and then stepping backwards and the slat falling out of it's hole. Of course.

And all the way through me issuing a series of 'oppsie daisy!'s and 'whoopsie''s .

Well I thought it was funny. I'm not so sure about J****.

Clowns

Hour

I'm typing with nail polish drying on my fingers which is always exciting while waiting for a student to arrive, the last one canceled at the last minute because she got the time wrong!! How appropriate then...


Hour

by Carol Ann Duffy

Love's time's beggar, but even a single hour,
bright as a dropped coin, makes love rich.
We find an hour together, spend it not on flowers
or wine, but the whole of the summer sky and a grass ditch.

For thousands of seconds we kiss; your hair
like treasure on the ground; the Midas light
turning your limbs to gold. Time slows, for here
we are millonaires, backhanding the night

so nothing dark will end our shining hour,
no jewel hold a candle to the cuckoo spit
hung from the blade of grass at your ear,
no chandelier or spotlight see you better lit

than here. Now. Time hates love, wants love poor,
but love spins gold, gold, gold from straw.


Isn't that fantastic. There's just no one holds a candle to her as far as I'm concerned. I'm going to be spending a few hours of my life watching spiderman 3 later today. Very highbrow, but we all need it. Why are we so droopy? J**** says its the end of two hard years. But that's a bit nonsensical. We only work in the afternoons after all and rolling around with a red nose on can't really be described as 'work'.

another thursday night

I've started an awful lot of entries on this blog by saying how tired we all are, so I think I won't tonight. Instead I'll just let you know that I'm eating cheese and drinking wine and that should just about let you know where I am. We're all having difficulties moving from clown in a 'number' situation to clown in 'la vie quoditian'. It's quite a big jump I think. Tomorrow I think will be interesting. I think we're quite near something good, but perhaps not near enough. Yes quite a long way from near enough. Fingers crossed pleased.

I want some chocolate.

We are about to leave clown and have started doing burlesque in classes with Jos. And it really is his baby. He told us today that he introduced it to the school and that it wasn't taught here before he came here. His eyes light up when he's teaching and he laughs and laughs.