Starting to really come into myself now. Taking risks and committing to them (before I wasn't fully committing to them I think). I'm also more consistently performing in a more sensitive state whilst still filling my capacity. I'm learning how to trust the discovery process on stage, with an audience.
AIR
- You can be in between talking and singing
- Don't speak the same as the movement. We need something different.
- Take your time - don't move too much at the beginning.
- Gaulier often plays music in the background of exercises to help us. For air, he played classical orchestral music.
I played with a higher pitched whispy singing voice for my air - letting my voice flutter over the movement. Jaime, who has come to this course as an assistant to Gaulier in order to observe his teaching (Jaime was at the Character course I did last year) suggested that I should be killed for being bad when Gaulier asked for suggestions, but he said "Guy, he takes a risk with his voice...not so bad." I'm pretty sure it was bad but perhaps my risk taking offers something else that we as an audience like.
Gaulier chose Andre and Maria to stay on and move as air together on stage, and later, share the text. It was beautiful. They took a lot of time to listen to each other and find complicité together. They were gentle and responsive with each other. "Their complicité was not artificial. It's normal to take time. That's what the first act of a play is for...For actors to find complicité with their fellow actors and with the room."
EARTH
Pretend to be the earth of your country...
Me: "not so bad". I had slow strong movement, pleasure, fixed point and horizon line, I was quite free yet controlled, and had a big voice (I spoke with looooong syllables). And then, after a suggestion from Gaulier, held that same power but with whispering.
- Give A LOT...most people got killed instantly - "not enough"
- My hunch is that I'm good at this form because it requires giving a lot, and I can do that easily. Often my problem as an actor is that I give too much. But perhaps this particular form requires more giving than others. Although I actually think that my problem as an actor has been pushing too much, and there is a difference between pushing and giving. Subtle differences!
- "Take pleasure between earth, music, and text"
Three more people had a go in costume at the end of class. "Say the text with an element you were happy in. Sell yourself...You have to be tall...You have to be beautiful if you want to stay." If we loved somebody, Gaulier would beat his drum and the person on stage had to choose somebody in the audience to seduce from the stage. Rothio had a go at this, but had a little smile for her seduction, when really her stern serious look is more seductive and visceral.
Franck was also given a chance. Gaulier got him to growl like a lion (which made Franck smile and blush every time he did it) when he beat his drum. Franck was much more lovable when he growled than when he spoke text. "You can't be this serious actor Franck."
At a break in the middle of class Gaulier asked me where I trained. It was nice to have a little conversation with him. And nice that he could see that I had trained! I feel when I write this like I'm gushing like "my god actually spoke to me!". It's just nice to speak to him like a real person.
This evening I went to Théâtre de Complicité's Shunkin. 15€. In Japanese with French subtitles. Quite stunning. I'm loving seeing theatre shows here that really feel like 'magic'.
These sticks were used to create spaces. They were also 'sliding doors' which characters would enter and exit through.
Like music throughout.
Beautiful clear images.
Shunkin was represented by a small puppet, a larger one, then a woman with a plastic face who was moved like a puppet, and finally a real woman.
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