As for the Sacre Coeur, it is a beautiful piece of architecture and there's a great view from the top of the hill, but what was most stunning was the inside. I walked inside to find a real service happening, but tourists were allowed to come in and walk around the sides (it was slightly weird having this amazing ritual happening in the centre and lots of touristy stalls selling candles and bibles etc around the sides but oh well). The inside is breathtaking. The height and width of the building just makes you stand tall and breathe. The natural light coming from the glass openings above shed this soft and warm light over the dark wooden interior. The singing coming from the choir was beautiful - I thought was a CD track playing because it was so good. I couldn't help but fall into silence and become apart of the way of being in this church. I was converted. Absolutely stunning. Unfortunately no photos were allowed to be taken inside. But I'm glad I just had to stand and take it all in myself!
The Sacre Coeur.
The Sacre Coeur and me.
The Sacre Coeur and one of many Merry-Go-Rounds scattered around Paris.
Touristy street at the bottom of the hill.
In class today I came with a tight black skivvy and black thermal pants as a costume. Sort of a cat burglar thing going on. Not right again. However I did get a "Not so bad" from Philippe which was cool. We were set the improvisation scene of a cabaret as our characters, so there was an MC/Presenter and then each character would come out from behind the screen and either sing a song or tell a joke. If it was good Philippe would order champagne from the waiter (a chinese guy from second year sitting in on our class). If if it was bad he would order Diet Coke. And if it got really bad he would order Diet Coke...Made In China! A lot of us were terrible. Four litres of Diet Coke please. Sometimes our lack of pleasure as an audience was to do with the lack of pleasure from the actors. Other times an idea was brought on stage rather than a relationship with the audience. Some pushed too much. Lots crumbled under pressure quickly.
Jane, a girl from Canada, got Champagne ordered. This was a joyous moment, especially because lately Jane had been consistently getting killed. What she did on stage was subtle, playful, in direct relationship with the audience and she had pleasure herself. I came on with a cartwheel and went on to sing 'True Love' in an ever-growing operatic voice. I felt like I had better contact with the audience, they were seated closer and in a semi circle around the stage, so I felt slightly safer. However I pushed when I had this close connection with the audience which makes them back away as it is too much. Afterwards I was given the feedback that I (Tin Tin) need sensitivity. I need to have sensitivity to the relationship between myself and the audience. Singing loud and operaticly at them is not having sensitivity. He then got me to sing again with sensitivity. So I sang a lot softer and concentrated on my relationship with the audience. Whilst I was singing he got me now and then to stop and smile, then play with my teeth - rubbing them together and licking the front of them - then smiling, then a making a slight little giggle. In other words he was helping me find a lightness. Interesting that yesterday with Thomas he got me to smile in my army suit as well, and I immediately got a response from the audience when I smiled. It seems that smiling helps me be lighter, and for me, lightness works.
Philippe said that an actor should always be light. Even a heavy character needs to be played with lightness. I can see how this lightness leads to play and complicite with an audience and other actors, and is a place in which an actor can discover things on stage as they happen. It is hard to do this when you are heavy.
Philippe also said that an actor needs to do something that triggers the audience's imagination. This is the actors job. Truth can be helpful but it is not essential. What is essential is a trigger - something that allows the audience's imagination to be set free. Again lightness is important for this. A trigger needs to be subtle. If a trigger is heavy, like Mark constantly repeating "yeah, cause I'm like, American, yeah...", allows the audience no room to create themselves. A book is not heavy - it gives us little triggers that let our imaginations create the detail. This is a key joy we get from reading. Actors need to do the same kind of thing.
I got up after the break back in my army outfit to give it a go with Philippe, and came out as the presenter. I came out playing nice guy, with a big light smile on my face, but came out with no real thought of any kind of imagination trigger. Thus it was just me being a nice guy in an army suit. I tried to do less, but need to do more than that! Afterwards Philippe helped me out again. He asked "Do you rap in NZ?". I said that I don't but I'll give it a go. Juss freestylin'. I started, but was too heavy again. He stopped me and said I have to do it very quietly. And everytime he beats his drum I have to wink at Lib (an lovely older Canadian woman) with a look that suggests I want to 'eat caramel' with her tonight. I did this, lightly beat boxing as I went along, and although I wasn't getting laughs or anything, the lightness I had in my body and voice seemed to be much more available and connected to the audience. Philippe said "Not so bad." I feel good in that I feel I've been guided towards feeling what it is like to be light. It felt great. I felt free, relaxed, open, and connected.
Afterwards Trygve and Oli and I, the three NZers from the class, went to the 'Eden Park Club' in Luxembourg for a gathering of NZers, and to commemorate Waitangi Day. It was quite surreal being in a room full of NZers in Paris, and it was crazy seeing all these old school NZ photos on the wall. Like the lovely portrait Zinzan Brook. Had a few beers, a chat with a few ex-pats, then we left and Oli and I got some food (McDonalds is depressingly expensive in Paris), went to meet some class mates for a drink and a dance, and then when we left, the metros had stopped working for the night, so we walked home from whereever we were.
Oli and Trygve.
Eden Park Club.
Rugby memorabilia behind the bar.
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