"You Share The Game. You Play. This Is A Very Good Thing."

Showing day! Everybody was really (audibly) supportive today - whether a scene was good or bad. But Philippe reminded us of the truth..."The people applaud the bad students...but the Gods decide..."

I met up with Nader before class and we sketched out a scene, and divided it into games to play. Basically: It's morning time - I (the son) am having breakfast then he (the dad) enters, teases me [the game of teasing] about being skinny and no good for the ladies (unlike him), then I break out and announce that I'm in love [the game of flouting love] and sing a song about it. Then dad wants to  know who it is so we play 20 questions [the guessing game], and it's revealed that the woman I'm in love with...is his girlfriend. Then he goes crazy [the game of throwing a tantrum], pulls out a gun, and eventually kills me then himself. That was what we did.

Father and Son.

I wrote in my book before the start of class, "Just go out to have fun and find complicité. It's a game. Don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself. Just keep discovering." And that is what I did. And it went really well.

I was lighter, more sensitive, still trying things out, and I played with my scene partner. I literally looked into his eyes and tried to find the game with him - how are we going to play together? It took us a little while to get rolling together (I was worried we were going to be killed as the scene was pretty bad for a minute or so) but we finally found our feet. When it came to me singing my song (which I thought might be the moment we get banged) I didn't push - I was open and having fun to imitate musical theatre. Then at the moment of the gun being pulled out (which came earlier than we had planned) I started to really play. I shouted "Daddy don't shoot me!" and started running around to dodge his bullets. What made this work though, was that I eased into it (didn't push straight into overboard), I had fixed points, I was sensitive to the audience, and I went a bit silly with it. Déconner as Philippe would say. I ended up dancing around - flinging my legs about. I did a few acrobatics we'd learned with Thomas too (cartwheel, dance throw) and even slid under and through the table. It was my turn to play - to be in major - and I took it. And the audience loved it. Then I came back with Nader, and we finished the scene.

I wasn't really sure what kind of feedback I was going to get, because I knew it wasn't all good. And I also knew that where I won - dancing around with my legs - is something Philippe has mentioned I can do, but that I should try to play in other ways. But actually, I guess I did. Anyway, it my feedback was great.

"Me, I like Guy. Sorry about that... As Thomas says: He's not a bad guy."

The class started to applaud and cheer when he said this, which was really lovely. I've been really vulnerable and struggling for the last month or so and it felt like everybody was saying "He's right Guy! We do like you!"

Philippe later told me "You share the game. You play. This is a very good thing."

Harvey came over to me at the end of class and told me that he was watching me improvise yesterday in class and that I reminded him of a child playing. He said he could almost see me as a kid pretending to be different characters, fooling around. This was really good to hear too! It tells me I'm open and playful - and even though not much of what I've done lately has worked - I've still been playful and interesting and watchable.

In a way, I am disappointed that I didn't have more success playing 'as a character' (today was still really just me dressed up, with a bit of an accent, but nothing that charactery about it), but I actually do know how to do that. I understand how, and I know with time I can get there. And that's what a workshop is for anyway - starting you off to then go and discover more for yourself. I just had something different to focus on, which was to play with others on stage. And I've got a lot better at this! And this is a skill that will help me in all the work I do in the future - no matter what it is.

I've also learned a lot about process during this workshop. About discovering something through constant trial and error, and how to cope when all you seem to be doing is failing - especially in front of other people. I feel though, that I've built up a resistance to the feeling of embarrassment I was having from constant failure. And I've come to more deeply understand the mantra: it's good to be bad.

~

Anna and Andre did an amazing 2-characters-each fully scripted and rehearsed piece. It was wonderful!

"We love the actors. And the game pleasure is very good." 


The thing that stuck with me after watching it was that both actors absolutely owned themselves on stage. They had a professional air about them - a confidence - like they belonged on stage, that they're absolutely comfortable there, and that they have something special to give. As an audience member, it's very easy to accept this and follow them, and love them. This is something I want to develop as well. I could do it. I can do it. I just need to really believe in myself. Sell myself.

~

"Spectators like it when the character does something: Ah! Shit! I didn't expect that!" 


They don't like it when an actor does something to help us get something we've already understood. e.g. Australian Mike was scratching his belly as his American hick character today. But we already know he isn't upperclass. So when he scratches his stomach he underlines something we already understood. And we think: We are not idiots.

~

Things I learnt in Character:

• Don't have an idea of your character. Don't know him. Set no restrictions. He could do anything! Let him surprise the audience, and yourself.

• Don't underline things we already know.

• Let the character follow your pleasure. Go where you have fun.

• Allow the audience to dream around your character (WOW I LOVE THIS IDEA). Think of your character like one that sleeps in a book - as an actor you have to bring him alive for the audience, little suggestion by little suggestion - just as a writer does for her reader.

• Enjoy the pleasure: Nobody knows who I am. (Dad! It's me! Over here! Watch me as I play my character!) 

~

It was Philippe's birthday today! We sang happy birthday to him as our characters and a few people made reference to it in their pieces. He spoke at the end of class and said that even though he tells us we are boring,"I am never bored."