"You Don't Play. You Are Alone."

Today we had to present a Commedia Dell'Arte mask that we like. A short Lazzi. Come on for a few minutes and be loved, basically.

I tried to do the exercise that was done did a few days ago in which Il Capitano comes on stage looking for his army but then finds a bunch of women washing by the riverside and gets happily distracted.

The major learning for me was about play and games. I need to take my time, listen, and play. Don't react immediately. Let something build, in a progression. Let others in with me.

"You don't play. You are alone."

I realised there are opportunities to play e v e r y w h e r e . There are games e v e r y w h e r e . When I enter looking for my army in a panic - play. What happens when I panic? When I see the women - play. How do I see the women? How does it effect my feet? My hips? My chest? My lips? Play. When I attract the attention of the women - play. What would be the best way to impress them? Play.

What I did was rush through the games without playing. I reacted to things - I was trying to show reactions (e.g. when I saw the woman washing rocking backwards and forwards I started thrusting my body backwards and forwards too) - but they come across as ideas as opposed to games. It's fine to thrust backwards and forwards in response to seeing the women, but find the game of getting excited. Don't just get excited. Play.

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An example of a game: Ric playing Pantalone who wants Nonica (attractive young Greek girl in our class) to work at his Chinese restaurant (and to feel her up conspicuously). "Come over here." The game is getting her to come. He wants her to, she doesn't. It could go on for 20 minutes!

"Don't touch the money sack straight away!" - Pantalone's money sack hangs between his legs like balls. It's a great gag to sensitively hold the bag with joy...but don't do it all the time!

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"Always my friend Flop follows me...I am good because my friend Flop follows me...If he doesn't follow you you will meet him soon!"

"All the time you enter you think you will be good, you will be bad."

"You enter like a happy boy scout and everybody hates you!"

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Be light. No tension.

"We prefer her [Maria] when she leaves the stage [because she's sensitive and light], so why don't you try to enter like that?"

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Andre tried the same Il Capitano exercise as I did. "He can be more ridiculous...He doesn't want to have sex with one of the women, he wants to have sex with ALL of the women!"

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Daniele found a wonderful Arlecchino. At first it was too conventional idiot: "Not charming!...it looks too much 'normal theatre' "...

but then Philippe got him to play a farmer from Sicily (Daniele is from Italy) and then the mask comes alive.

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"THE GAME IS THE ENGINE OF THE ACTOR."