"If We Don't Cry It's Not Mélo...It's Emotional."

Today we started with an exercise in which two actors are at the far opposite end of the room (diagonals) from each other, music plays, and over time they realise the person they're looking at is their brother/sister/mother who they haven't seen in years. 

Quite a delicate thing to get the timing right! 

Don't bend your body - still be tall. 

Remember to send messages to paradise. Look at partner, stop, fixed point, look to the fifth gallery, back at partner. Then the People of Paris say "Ah! Something is coming! Did you see that?!"

"You have to touch in a beautiful way."

I went with Sara. "The end is better than the beginning...not too bad." This is true. Towards the end, we were more together. There was more ooomph between us!

~

We also did an scene in which there are ten actors in a bunch waving goodbye to a train/ship with people in it going off to war. And one actor - the actor whose scene it is - joins the crowd to say goodbye to their loved one, but can't get through. "Dad! Dad! Good luck! I love you! Daaaad!"

I had a go and said goodbye to my brother (my Grandfather's brothers went to war and he didn't and I've always found this fascinating - the idea of being left behind and then having your brothers return completely different). I went for it with my voice. Trying to be emotional and dramatic. Philippe let me go for a while. But at the end said that if I try to tell him that I thought about having an actor's voice then he would call me a liar! Well, I did actually! But I didn't find the right one.

I spoke to Philippe afterwards, because I didn't really get it. He told me "you speak with your natural voice. We don't say you have fun to have a theatre voice." And asked me if there are real actor-actors in New Zealand, and what do they speak like? Even when they are having coffee, how do they speak? 

Going for something deeper. More royal. More grand. More "I AM AN ACTOR".

~

"If we don't cry it's not Mélo...it's emotional."

"Don't play too fast."

"Nicole and Francois [fucking behind the rock] help to give lightness and fun to the Mélodrama...it's really important."

~

At the end of class we did more of an exercise we've done a few times lately. Come out and sing a song, or say a poem, as if you are poor and really need the money. i.e. We can't feel like you are actually okay for money - then you're a miser. You have to sing for money. And at the end, Philippe says whether he gives money or not.

I came out and sang Summertime.

I walked out simple and proud - good fixed point - letting the audience take me in. Like an actor (I've been wanting this to change in my work for a while!). I took my time, was with the audience, sensitive, vulnerable, alive, open. I sang with a big clear voice, didn't push, let the words of the song drop-in, had moments of big and small. I had great pleasure too. I gave a lot, and it felt great.

"I give money...I throw money through the window...No doubt."