A droopy NZ Flag.
An All Blacks jersey and fairly current NZ newspapers/magazines. Strangely enough reading the Dominion Post did make me feel at home!
I was a bit stressy/nervous when I arrived at the embassy and the way I approached the man at the desk for help probably wasn't the best way to go about it. I forgot to introduce myself, and the first thing I said was "I don't speak French" when I intended to say "Do you speak English?"
Anyway, I quickly learned that the embassy really isn't there to sort out minor squarrels about missing keys. I guess I hoped they could speak in French with somebody that might be able to get me a key, as well as scaring Elouise into gear. I ended up speaking to a very high-strung and stressful New Zealand woman who snapped at me lots of questions: "why are you sharing a key?", "why are you paying so much? That's ridiculous!", "what do you expect me to do?" etc but who then called Elouise (who did not answer any of her phones) and left a message saying she needs to get it sorted or the police will get involved. A bit extreme. But it made no difference to Elouise. I eventually got a txt saying "please don't make this any worse for me. I'm already going to have to pay 40euro for a new key". Boohoo Elouise! I can't get into the apartment I paid you for! So not much luck today unfortunately. I can get into the apartment, but it requires me to buzz somebody upstairs and ask them over the intercom to let me in. Which is okay if I get home at a reasonable time, but not so good if I want stay out late.
We had Thomas today for class. First up we played the 'sneak up on Grandmother' game, and had to react as our characters when we got caught out. When I'm in a 'game' I enjoy the fun spirit and competitiveness. I need to find this feeling in my acting also.
We then did improvisations as our characters in which six of us are to enter onstage and go into an elevator (made out of an open square of chairs). After we're all in the elevator it breaks down dramatically and then the scene goes wherever it goes! My groups scene was good and bad at times, we took a while to all enter successfully. First the entrances were boring. Then they were too long. Once we finally all got into the elevator the scene started to find its feet - having some good moments as well as verging on flopping several times. At the end of the scene Aretha, who had been chosen to jump for us (to see how hard the fall was), got pushed out of the elevator, and at that moment the scene was ended by Thomas. He said that when Aretha left the elevator the space is now broken so the scene must end. He said it would have been better for him not to jump - this way there is more conflict and the scene can continue. I thought we could have continued it after his jump, but I understand about the breaking of space. "We liked you all at moments".
"You need to be aware of where the game is. Who's got the ball? Where is it going?" Sometimes in scenes we do there are too many offers at one time, and when this happens the ball is nowhere to be seen.
"When things are found that we like, we want more. We're disappointed when they stop."
- Trygvi's scene was enjoyable because we saw the game wandering around.
- I need to be much lighter. I can feel that I am heavy. Need to float and flow.
- "If you are in Major and you can see what is working, try to give the ball to somebody else. And if it doesn't work then take the ball back."
- Great situation - four young woman trapped in an elevator with Pedro (who looks like a bad spanish magician) and his dominant mother. Clothes were being thrown everywhere!
- When theres too many words we get put off. It becomes bla bla bla. Need less speaking. Play with space.
We then did a scene at a restaurant in which two separate families (of four) enter and dine, and somewhere along the line a conflict arises between them which builds to a fight. I played the waiter in my scene. The scene didn't really pop and conflict didn't really build. I felt that I really stagnated the scene and that I needed to do more than just be the waiter. I needed to have something to play with - an arrogance perhaps - so characters I interact with can like or hate me. Playing friendly status is perhaps a bit limiting.
Thomas said the scene needed some different rhythms for it to work. But he said mine was okay. "The conflict needs to come from something surprising and light. Not heavy." I spoke to Thomas about my role as waiter afterwards and he said that the waiter is difficult because he is a connecting role. He needs a good sense of timing to connect the two families/stories. To my query about doing something he said I could have little things to do that help us imagine. Like slightly tripping up everytime he enters, for example.
- Still found my voice going high again. Perhaps I should ground myself. This imagery of floating in the air is maybe not helping with my voice.
- 'Sensitivity' is another way of thinking about being light.
Doubt - 'Doute' in French. The film had the original english dub, but had French subtitles which I looked at quite often. A good way to pick up new vocab!
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie! It holds this level of tension from the beginning of the film and then the tension just gets tighter and tighter and tighter! I found it rivotting. The acting was great. Meryl Streep was stunning and Philip Seymour Hoffman was very good - I was never quite sure whether to like him or hate him. The film plays with our trust, who we believe and who we doubt, and we're left doubting our own judgements. I really want to see the play now. I think it would be better. In the film you see everybody spoken about, the students in particular, but apparently in the play you don't see the students at all. I think this would be more interesting.
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