“Guy, He Is Not So Funny Embarrassed”

Ben and I presented our scene about the erection problems again today. We didn’t really do any work on it other than refreshing lines. But we knew the games we were going to play. Me with les batons merde, and Ben with the long silences. We did it in this way, but it was dead. Bad. No life. Pretty painful. At the end Philippe said “Guy, he is not so funny embarrassed.” Which I wasn’t. I was playing conventional again, and not having any fun. No real game with Ben either. But rather than killing us, Philippe worked with us, more like a director. He was trying to find a way for us to be alive and having fun. He got Ben to imitate Thomas the movement teacher throughout the scene, which was a hit. When Ben throws his body about he’s fantastic. And it totally allowed him to be ridiculous. And for me, Philippe at first got me to go further with what I was doing. “Push the embarrassment.” I tried this, but didn’t really branch out of my safe zone. Didn’t play much. As we were doing it Philippe got me to do it louder. Much louder - shouting. Something started to come here, but still not fantastic. Everybody loved Ben, but I not me so much. I was just a good fixed point for him.

We were trying to find my way to be crazy. Philippe then asked me to play a british lord. 

So I gave that a go. Loud. Lots of umbrellas up the arse. Teeth out, and a listhp. It was better, but I did the same thing of staying within a box. Not venturing out and exploring much. I need to go MORE. To really just let go and see what happens. Today I was still too careful again. Where as at the end, after I’d got the idea of how it could work, I wanted to do it again. It was as if I’d done it enough to feel safe to really play. We didn’t go again, because I didn’t say I wanted to. Philippe made it out that we could work on it again, explore other ways for me, so I figured I could work then. But perhaps I should have said I’d like to go. It’s a confidence/bravery thing I think. The courage to really go for something. I’m still holding back a bit. But it wasn’t hopeless. People enjoyed what we did, but it was more because Ben was great. But I need to be great too. Because if we are both fantastic then the scene will be brilliant. But Philippe had faith. “Over time we will work and discover other ways.” And he said “We take in the show definitely” meaning this scene will be in the end of term show. Which is fantastic! Especially considering people fight to get into the show, and we’ve already been selected a month before the show. So that’s an achievement in itself.

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We then continued with a scene we worked on very briefly at the end of the day yesterday. A scene from Le Dindon (Which translates to The Turkey - Although I’m not sure that’s what the play is called in English) in which a man is trying to seduce a married woman, essentially. Philippe was getting us to focus on which tactics we’re playing, and to not change it too quickly.

“You have to play one card for a long time.”

When you have a tactic, it’s within a game. If you stop after three seconds we can’t see the game.

“If smiling is your tactic you have to do it all the time.”

“The game is one tactic versus the other.”

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“Vaudeville is good because it’s fast. It’s full of imagination.”

“Good or bad, the joke is in the rhythm.”

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At the end of class Ben asked whether it’s okay to work on Shakespeare within this Vaudeville workshop, and Philippe said “bring whatever you want...we can work on whatever.” So it’s totally open, which is a great opportunity. I’d like to test out some scenario’s for an idea for a new street theatre show I have that I think Vaudeville could be great for!