Hello my little blog readers,
So, I write to you on Monday evening of the fourth week! That means that at the end of this week, I am half way through the course! Ah! It is going so fast! And I'm glad it's going so fast, because that means I am learning and doing a lot!
So, I say 'week 3- the truth!' Because I have been having a lot of "coming to terms" with things moments. Not in a hugely pro founding, going to change my life moments, but close to it! All the experience of learning more about myself, and as a performer and an artist, and asking myself 'Indeed... what is all this stuff I have been learning, doing to me?"
I am feeling changes, physically in my body as one only feels if going through full time study, because your minnd and body are in complete training and there is such focus on your technique, rather than searching for the next gig, which can often pre occupy an actor.
Over this eight weeks- I am completely engulfed in Shakespeare, so it's all I am thinking, seeing and doing! And once again, like when I was studying it at University, I feel just how much Shakespeare and his words, plots and phrases of speech are seeped into modern society, so much most people don't know they are speaking Shakespeare when they do.
This past week I have really appreciated our two amazing Alexander teachers- I did go over Alexander while at university and learn the basic principles, and I think I have known what it is about and what the aim and it's importance for the actor, definitely.. but it's far harder to know how to put it in to practice. I mean, when in class you do exercises and you try things and we are having one on one tutorials in both voice and Alexander and really getting to know my spine more- but when you're actually up on the spot, performing your monologue or doing a scene, your concentrating on so many different things that these others things you have learnt in class can be forgotten. Ok, not s much forgotten, but when you're nervous and tense, those habitual responses arise again.,
Katya is an amazing teacher who has been teaching Alexander for about ..oh..twenty years! :o Did I mention my music teacher has been teaching at RADA for thirty years? That's more than my whole life!
But, but to Katya. She really is a special teacher- I have found many of us have connected with her. She is very personal and really does treat every person as a individual and her touch is glorious! It seems like she is actually doing that much, but she will just put her hand on your spine or your collar bone and suddenly you're standing differently, you're feeling different, and as I found out in my tutorial,when I did some lines of my monologue, I sounded so resonate and present in my words.
Something that Dowie, our other Alexander teacher said was probably the highlight for the week for me for these classes. One guy in our class, Ryan, asked Dowie " How do I know when my head is in the right place?"
I understand this question- you often feel like what you have is not "right" or you need to remember when to put your head to be in the "right alignment" but Dowie's response was a great one. He basically said, there is no right position. It is just what it is, and one can only really go by a feeling and when they notice they are present with their body because every day, every situation, every moment of your life is different. So, there isn't going to be a 'right" and wrong" position for you- because every day that is different.
It's hard to get around this concept, because I think as a performer, you're constantly told to be aware of your alignment, your knees, your spine, and Yes, you have to be-especially for stage, and most certainly for Shakespeare. If your body is not free, how can you express all those little bubbles of excitement and emotion and guts going on in side you?
Of course, I write this now, after we did our Sonnet presentation ( our very first presentation) today in front of all the other students and RADA staff. And can I say I thought I did an amazing job and blew everyone away? No. Haha, but I can say it was definitely a very good exercise for where we are in the course right now.
As many of the teachers said after in our feedback, they thought presenting a sonnet as actually one of the hardest and most enjoyable, but hardest) tasks an actor can do. It's so short- you have 14 lines to say everything you need, and then it's over! As one teacher said, if you're performing a large part in a play, in one sense, at lest you have the whole play to rectify yourself, or to find more moments, explore the character. When you're playing the small part and you get that one chance to come on stage and say a very small amount of lines- that's it, that's all you've got, and you've got to make the most of it!
An important note about sonnets is Nona, the head of the course, said it's almost like you have to imagine you've written the sonnet yourself- it's words that need to be spoken by you, have had to write to express something and you NEED to say those words. There's no other words you can say. You Need to express them, you need to relate those thoughts, that are happening in that very moment,like they've never happened before.
I can't say I think I got everything, but I feel I did get a certain level of clarity that I was proud of and I did enjoy myself. I speak of Alexander work, and habitual tension, and that's exactly what happened to me. I think because I was also most so conscious of all this amazing work we've been doing for three weeks, that's all I was thinking about when I was up (ok, not all I was thinking of, but it was very present in my head), and so it added a certain tension (particularly to my shoulders) and then that meant my thoughts were reduced in some way.
It was great seeing everyone get up and do their pieces. Some people, I don't have in any of classes, so it was the first time I'd seen their work. Everyone had the same moments like I did - either clarity was a problem, or taking too many beats between words and not enough flow, not using the end of the line, physically tension and habitual habits when nervous, like smiling etc So, I was not along in this, I will say.
Although I have been performing for quite a while now, seven years, I tell ya what, you never stop learning! Never!
It sounds all a bit negatie or fulll on, but really it wasn't. It was a fun experience, being together in a room adn reciting sonnets. And as Nona said- it's probably best to perform sonnets after a beer or two- not that that's encouraged haha but that when you're with a group of people, having a good time and relaxed, most people would probably perform them in a manner unlike today- they would be more free because they would not be self conscious of all we have learnt and trying to apply it all. That is impossible. And so what I am challenging here is my ability to put things back into simple terms for myself- just simple questions and answers like" What do I want?, why do I need to say this right now, how do I want to affect the other person?" Simple questions and be aware but not on edge of technicalities.
Anyway, I must go to bed, but we have another big week coming up. Tomorrow we begin to seriously work on our sonnets and Stage combat, both of which we present in week six. We also begin dance classes this week!
Outside the course, I am trying to see what opportunities I can get to meet people in London theatre ( with some contacts as before leaving home) and what my plans are after the course. Trying to see as much theatre as possible. Next week I see a show at the Old Vic ( Richard III with Kevin Spacey :P), The Royal Court and Soho Theatre. I've already done the Haymarket, Vaudville, Wyndhams, RADA shows and more. Trying to squeeze it all in and get the most out of it!
Til next time!
Claire :)
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