Never Forget Mr. Flop

Major learning for me today was to never forget Mr. Flop when I go on stage. He helps me to be light and sensitive. Without him, I'm heavy and ugly.

I put together my home-made mask this morning and gave it a go on stage today.

My mask: Made from newspaper and masking tape over a neutral mask base.

The first time I entered I imitated Rodrigo's body language and then did an over-the-top gay laugh. Philippe said I knew more about the mask than the audience. I didn't discover the mask with the audience. "We hate him because he is a fascist."

I had another go, and this time I came out with more sensitivity and lightness. Mostly because I was trying to not do too much, and instead listen to and be with the audience. I tried different things - voices and movements - and nothing seemed to work. Eventually started to pretend to cry saying "I don't know what to do...it's hard!" and play with different ways of crying. Nothing too much. Just a bit. And it seemed to be a bit better. I wasn't a comedic hit at all, but I learnt a few things about the mask. "Not so bad...in this way you can discover the mask."

"...but the mask...we think you received a white cheese to the face...crème fraiche...it needs colour...paint...but good shape."

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I'm wondering what the balance is between bringing a (planned) offer on stage and genuinely discovering something (i.e. completely improvised). The danger of the first option is that you come across as heavy and that you know the mask better than the audience, and the danger of the second is that you don't discover anything good, or anything at all. However I imagine that a bit of both is possible. Because in a production you would have rehearsed with a mask a lot, and would likely have a script. You would have tested the mask a lot to discover what works and what doesn't. But then in the playing of it with an audience you would have to 'test' again (but test the things you know are in the zone and are likely to work) and from that test you would know how to play that night, for that audience. So right now in class I'm doing the initial testing period - discovering what works and what doesn't - and over time I'll get to know the mask and then get to start practising presenting 'previously tested' material as if it's brand new - discovered right then and there. And in a way it always will be discovered right then and there, because even if, say, a twitch of the right eye, generally works for a particular mask (and has been rehearsed), the twitch will be a tiny bit different for every audience. Every audience wants their own special twitch of the eye.

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From observation, it seems that when you don't know what to do with this work...have fun with your voice (pronunciation, pitch, accent, placement), body, walk, rhythm...and be light. I'd say this is a good rule of thumb for all performance styles actually.

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Some of the home-made masks we've started working with.

• Vicky was great. "We would be happy to know this character." She had good fixed points, didn't do much, her mask was great - and she let it do so much for her, and she had a good rhythm and voice to go with it imitating british Emma. Philippe spoke about it afterwards saying it was good that she played a bit timid and scared. He said this is good for mask.

• "You [Akron] are much better with Rodrigo than with yourself." - Imitating others can free you up as an actor.

• "You want to much...it's better if you don't know what to say as an actor...suggest little things in our mind, so we develop a picture...don't be heavy and careless so we receive 100 kilos of bla bla bla."

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We then did a lazzi with Pantalone in which he shuts his doors on the 31st of July to count his money, which he's particularly excited about! But during the day, many people (other Commedia Dell'Arte characters) interrupt him to find out what he's doing.

I got up and gave Capitano a go with my costume I'd brought (a slick soldier-y thing). I knocked on the door and then entered dramatically like a proud idiot, but slipped on the long socks I was wearing and slowly fell to the floor. Kind of funny but not really. Then I proceeded to speak in a loud spanish accent about how I was interested in what Pantalone was doing today. "You need to leave immediately." I then said "perhaps you could tell me later, because right now I have an appointment with a lot of women" and left quickly.

When I left it was better. This is because when I entered I didn't go on with the possibility of a flop around me. I was confident and heavy. But when Philippe said I needed to leave immediately (effectively saying I'm bad) I became lighter and more sensitive.

Philippe worked with a few other actors who were trying to play Pantalone. He got Steph to sing a lullaby - saying that when actors do this they become light and open - because lullabies are sung to small children. A generous giving sensitive environment. He also said that Games need to be approached in the same way. Children play games because they need to, and they enjoy, discovering the world. There is no "everybody hates me so I deserve to play this game" mentality. It's simple.

In a game we give and receive in a generous way. It's not nasty and heavy. It's easy, free and open.