"You Were Fucking Good."

Friday! The end of the week! The end of the performance run! The end of the workshop! I made it!

~

Had a great day today. Came in early to school to watch the first year's Mélodrama showing, which was never particularly Mélo...but often hilarious! 

We had a super quick class with Philippe in which he closed off the workshop thanking Michiko, Élena,  and Vicky, and wished us 'Merde' for the show (I hadn't heard this until recently but it's a French tradition - like the English "break a leg" - apparently it's bad luck to say "thank you" to the merde-wishing, instead you say "je prend" (I take)).

Then we all went to the park 10 minutes down the road which has geese and a big lake (it's really nice) for a celebratory lunch and drinks in the sun (the weather has suddenly become great at the moment).

Like Western Springs Park in Auckland, but the park is smaller and the geese are bigger.

~

The show tonight was fantastic! It was a full house with lots of guests (including Amanda and her new friend Paola) and there was a real buzz in the room. I was really happy with my performances (although Puck was never really up to my standard - as Amanda said, the costume made it more than the actor). I got a great hooting applause for Edmund which I'm really proud of. And Ben was brilliant in our erection scene. Completely hopeless with his lines and cues, but he had the audience in his hands. And I did well not to corpse! And the chamber pot scene was incredible. I've never performed in a scene/show in which people have laughed so hard the whole way through. It's a great feeling. I had several kind of chills of pleasure when people burst into laughter (which nearly made me laugh myself). Our timing was great. And these 'little gaps' for the audience Philippe suggested we have came naturally, because people were laughing so much that we had to wait!

I briefly said thank you to Philippe for the workshop after the show and he said:


"You were fucking good." 

That's easily the best complement I've had from him. And it means a lot damnit! I had a lot of great feedback from people actually. Light, consistent, funny. And I feel really happy with the work I've done this week and throughout the whole workshop. It's been a bit of a rocky ride but funnily enough none of that matters at the end. I feel great and really happy to have gone through it.


~


Core Things I've Learnt From Vaudeville:

• Be light.
• Be ridiculous. Madness is good.
• Costume (Moustache) helps a lot.
• Rhythm is key - be with the music of your scene and your fellow actors - and listen.
• Ride the audience a bit. Play to them. Adjust your timing for them.
• Game. Game. Game!

~

Three weeks break now and then ten weeks of Bouffon. I'm going to do some writing, some planning, and some relaxing. 

“As An Actor You Always Have To Be With The Kiss Of Someone.”

Lee tried his Ionesco monologue again. “Just boring.”

~

Mia and Thomas re-presented their Seagull scene. This time with new games and lot of physicality. But it was pushed, and the movement seemed to go against the core effect of the scene.

“All the the scene is to charm him.”

“He knows you are dangerous and he keeps a distance because he received such a big shock when she left with Trygorin.”

Thomas made a €50 bet with Philippe last night that he wouldn’t be boring today. 

I don’t know what the outcome was. I wouldn’t say Thomas was boring. We just didn’t love him in this way.

~

Christine and Duncan re-presented the seduction of the pubescent boy scene. I helped direct them earlier in the day. I made a new shape with clearer games, and tried to knock the ‘sickness’ out of Christine’s performance (strange facials and voice intonations). In their performance I think Christine was less ‘sick’, and the shape of the scene was okay, but Philippe said that now Christine’s character was “too much I fuck him.” This is because I was under the impression that she had fun to tease this pubescent sex-ready 17 year old boy. To get him excited. And then at the end of the scene the manager comes so it doesn’t happen. But Philippe said it’s not supposed to be like that. They don’t fuck. We don’t think they’re going to fuck. We think, they could fuck. So a clear chemistry. But what I directed was clear come-ons from the woman. She drops her lipstick - he goes to pick it up - when he looks up he finds his nose in her cleavage - etc.

“Bad direction. Boring actors. You don’t do it.”

Still I was happy with my attempt at direction. I’m getting better at creating a good shape - the musicality of a scene - with games for the actors. But the next step, which I’m not doing right now, is helping the actors to be beautiful and light and have pleasure within the scene. In a way that’s the actors job, but I’d like to be a director that can help find this too.

~

Mike tried the opening prologue to Romeo + Juliet.

“Who says after this text we are going to see the best love story in the world...?”

~

Lee also tried his A Man Who Hates Monologues monologue. He was horrible again. He seems to keep wanting to wing it and see what happens. To discover something with the audience. But it never works. Philippe got Katy to sit on Lee’s knees and kiss him now and then, whilst he said the text softly and simply. In this way he was more open, beautiful, and we loved him.

“As an actor you always have to be with the kiss of someone.”

“You have to discover your neutral is not your neutral. It’s when you are kissed.”

~

Philippe worked a bit with Ben and I on our erection scene. He got me to speak in a lower voice, and play really deep and serious. With a big preoccupation. Something difficult to tell. And he got us to give a little tiny gap between lines for the spectators. “Don’t forget my timing for the spectators.” To breathe, and so they can whisper to each other “the actors are good.”  It feels strange to do. Like the scene pauses now and then for no natural reason. But I guess the theatre isn’t natural. And if we don’t stop now and then then it can be an overload for the audience. Too fast.

~

Akron, Vicky, and Thomas also re-presented their Bouzin scene as Philippe wanted to see it. I’d come in early today and directed them too - really just Akron as Philippe wasn’t happy with what he was doing any more. I tried to give Akron clear games - things he could play at certain parts throughout the scene. I helped him stop leaving strange long pauses that make the rhythm of the scene die. And I tried to direct specific moments that help us as an audience come to him. i.e. He enters, see’s the woman in the room, and then speaks to her. But I tried to direct him to have a moment where he prepares to speak to her. So we as spectators see what he’s about to do (the oh no moment - because he’s a weirdo) and then he does it. Tried to break up the moments a bit.

It was hard work. We worked fast and I was strict. But I was happy with myself for also being sensitive to Akron’s needs. He doesn’t cope so well with change and working quickly, so I was patient with him and congratulated him along the way. And he worked well.

In the showing of it Philippe said he was “too heavy” which is something I didn’t work on too much. He said the first night Akron was light because he was really scared. He was sensitive. But after that he’s become heavy.

~

Thursday Night’s Show

A better show tonight! According to Philippe anyway. But it was. The audience (we had new people! Including Mia’s mum from Switzerland!) were very quiet, but with us, and they laughed during the Vaudeville...and then applauded a lot at the end of the show.

Puck is good - but I could have more fun to be more light, and more strange.

Bastard is good - but Philippe said it’s good to have the kiss on the cheek from Katy in the scene. We’ve done it once or twice, but if my timing is a little off then there’s not enough time for the kiss. But Philippe says it’s good. It helps the audience dream that perhaps we fuck in real life.

Ben and I rehearsed our erection scene a lot today. Trying to set a routine for Ben that he could repeat. Which meant we could create particular moments, and it solved the issue of missed lines. But in performance most of it went out the window. But it didn’t matter. Ben was on fire with his strange sounds and movements. And certain key moments were still there. So perhaps that is better for us. Ben can play freely, but there are certain points he has to hit. Well it worked. It was very funny. For me - I can be more constipated. Really consumed by my issue. In my own world. GO THERE. Oh, and the little gaps worked pretty well with the audience!

Bucket scene was good again. Philippe said we should leave the little gaps in this scene too. To give timing for the spectators. Because we go through the text quite quickly in certain places. It’s a subtle thing. Because it doesn’t mean slowing down the rhythm of the scene. It just means there are certain fixed points in the text.

Philippe ended up not cutting anyone for tomorrow night, which was a relief! I didn’t want to have any more quick changes. And I also didn’t want anyone to miss out on playing Friday night. Because I think tomorrow night will be our biggest audience and everyone will be in a good mood.

~

After the show I went with a few others to have dinner at a really good Italian restaurant in Étampes with Mia and her mum. It was really nice. And we caught the train back home together, all sharing a bottle of red wine. Mia’s mother, Michelle, trained at Le Coq and works in theatre. It was interesting to hear what she thought of the show. She said it looked like we were all a bit tense - trying to survive - or to please Philippe. Like this was stopping us from having pleasure. Which is a problem. And it is shitty to see his daunting shadow there right in the middle of the audience every night. We need to perform and have pleasure regardless of him. It shouldn’t be for him, or because we want to survive, but because we love to perform. I suspect on Friday we’ll get this point, because there’s no opportunity to be cut anymore (phew) but it’s a shame this happens at the school. Michelle also spoke about how it’s a shame not everybody got to perform - to be in the show. I agree. Having people try and try to get in but not succeeding does cut the group a lot. I see why Philippe does it. It can cause a good big crisis for people. But it sucks as well. And at the end of a workshop can really screw with people’s sense of themselves just before they leave and enter in to the real world again. But this is the world we choose to enter...Why? Michelle asked... Good question. For me, there’s something good about the pain. About the struggle. You come out stronger. And I like it.

“Unprofessional.”

The same as yesterday in class today, but much shorter. We finished 45 minutes earlier which was nice actually. It gave me a bit of a break before performing, instead of the frantic rush to get everything prepped (I appreciate the role of a stage manager a lot now that I don’t have one). Philippe spoke about the importance of consistency for actors. “It has to be every night the same.” He said he wouldn’t hire an actor that is different every night. That they are unreliable and unprofessional.

~

Lee tried his monologue again, but it was worse than what he did yesterday. No listening, no sensitivity. “Everything is horrible.”

~

Barbara tried her monologue again, which I had directed before class. I tried to help her find several games, and then to play them lightly. I ended up kind of choreographing the music of the scene - the shape - but I don’t think it solved the issue of her being heavy and not beautiful. I guess I just thought lets give her a frame to work with, instead of her improvising every time. “Impossible...We don’t see you. We don’t see your beauty. We don’t see anything.” I think the frame could have worked if she had pleasure, but she didn’t. And because she’s in this crisis at the moment, it’s impossible for her to have pleasure. But pleasure is what she needs to be beautiful. So it’s a difficult situation!

~

Christine and Duncan showed the puberty seduction scene again.

“We don’t see she has fun with the puberty of this guy...we don’t see any erotic fantasy between the protagonists.”

Philippe got them to stand close together, and for Duncan to try and kiss Christine, who had to play hard to get. She would kiss him back, but then say “No! Stop! We can’t do this!”. It could have been fun, but Christine never goes there. She holds herself back and stops herself from discovering. She keeps saying she wants to do it - to go out of her comfort zone and find something, but she never actually does it. Yet...

~

Barbara and Vicky presented the mother and daughter gossiping scene. No pleasure again. “Impossible.”

~

Vicky, Mia and Lee did the Redillon scene again, but Philippe said he still couldn’t understand anyone. I listened to Mia carefully this time and I see what he means. I could hear different words that she was saying (in French), but they kind of ran in to each other which was difficult to understand. “No.”

~

Philippe quickly worked with Ben and I on the erection scene too. He said I need to have more of a fixed point. Very still. And he needs to be more with his erection problem. We need to see his pain - almost crying. Whilst Ben prances about in the background.

~

Wednesday Night’s Show

The show for me was better than last night I felt. But Philippe said the show as a whole is starting to fall. It’s gotten worse and worse. Usually a show gets better over the run, but it’s gotten worse. I’d say it’s because a lot of us are relying on the audience to give us the thing we need to be great, but the audience has gotten smaller and smaller, and it’s been full of people who have already seen the show before. But we can’t rely on the audience like that. It has to be great regardless of the audience. And then it should get even better with an audience!

I felt that all of my scenes were alright except the erection problem scene. It flopped again tonight. We weren’t together, and although I was better in my fixed point, I wasn’t with my problem enough. I need to be clearly in the shit from the very beginning. Ben was slow on his cues a lot tonight, and messed up a few lines, and then I missed a line right at the very end which meant we finished oddly. Philippe said this “unprofessional” which I don’t agree with. I missed one line, and then did something to try and make my mistake work. It happens. But he’s right that the scene needs to be the same every night. I spoke to Ben afterwards, who has been improvising what he does each performance (so it’s always different) and relying on being “in the flow”. So if he’s not in a the flow, it’s a disaster. And how do you get in the flow? It’s a mystery. I really think you can’t rely on magic. You have to control what you can control. The scene has to be great without “the flow”. So tomorrow we’re going to set the scene. Decides when he does what, which will hopefully solve the problem of missed cues. I think if it’s ridiculous, and fun, it shouldn’t take away the pleasure and make it mechanical. The way he does it can still change, and be spontaneous, but what he does is consistent. And of course I need to be on form too. More with my problem. More british and uptight. 

Second Night Trap

In class Philippe worked with those who wanted to present to get into the show, or who had performances that needed some tweaking before being ready.

~

Duncan found a great Macbeth imitating a cowboy like Clint Eastwood.

“Take your time to have fun to be a cowboy.” 

It’s really great. Duncan plays a riff on his harmonica, then grizzles out a line of Shakespeare about death and grits his teeth and wriggles his eyebrows...then back to the harmonica.

~

Barbara tried her Spanish text again. She keeps falling away from the thing Philippe has been helping her to get to: lightness and beauty. He told her that she needs to do ten lines with the fight of a child (playing toy soldiers) like a hero. But not in a natural way.

~

He worked with Akron to speed up the timing of (and make more clear) Bouzin stealing a bouquet of flowers. Logic always helps. i.e. Why would the butler allow Bouzin to steal the flowers if he can see him...? He shouldn’t see him. And Bouzin should wait until he doesn’t see him.

~

Christine presented a monologue by I’m not sure who, but she didn’t risk anything. It was the same small voice. “We don’t care...you speak like a prof de musique...boring.”

She also tried the scene in which the woman seduces the pubescent boy, but because she was upset and frustrated, she wasn’t any better in this scene. “Not good fun enough.” It’s difficult to get out of a struggle like what she’s going through right now when every time she tries something it becomes harder and she feels worse. It’s very brave to keep trying! And really important.

~

Philippe ended up cutting the Chekhov scene between Thomas and Mia, so now I have another fast change over! Practiced that...

~

Lee also tried his “I’m Leaving” monologue again. I had worked with him before class (trying to get him to have fun to play pissed off), and so had Vicky (working in a lighter gay way). He tried both ways but neither worked. It was too heavy, and he wasn’t with us. “Sometimes he is good” but he’s not consistent. I think because he’s relying too much on the response from the audience. He has to be clear on what and how he’s going to do before he has an audience, and then when he has one, he needs to adjust. “You have to be subtle and to let people come to you.”

~

Tuesday Night’s Show

A smaller audience than Monday night, consisting mostly of the same first years that came last night. Overall it felt a bit slower than last night. Not quite as together. Philippe said in general it was not as good as yesterday. An actor and a rhythm problem.

Puck: My voice was too high. Nyah nyah nyah... (I thought I was going to be cut actually, because as I performed it I felt it wasn’t going so well and then I saw Philippe lean over and say something to Michiko...ay ay ay).

Bastard: Fine. I’m consistent with this one. I love it.

Erection problem: We weren’t great like we were last night at all. Philippe said Ben needs to move because he dreams to be a dancer, not because he has a sore leg and wants to stretch it out. For me, we didn’t see my characters problem. I need to show this more. And the relationship between us wasn’t good.

Chamber pot: The rhythm was a bit off. We were all a fraction too slow. But the crisis at the end was better.

A second night trap? 

Opening Night

In class today we did a dress rehearsal of the show. At the end Philippe cut Duncan and Barbara’s monologues. Too boring. Which meant that my change from Puck to Edmund was about two minutes! We tried it - me getting changed during Steph’s monologue - and it was really tight! Exciting! But tight. We ended up having a reprise of Vicky playing her flute (which everybody loves) to give me a bit of extra time.

~

The show went really well! A supportive audience mostly comprised of current students in a good mood. And I felt happy with my four scenes. After the show we had notes from Philippe and he was okay with what I did too.

Puck: It’s working I think. But I don’t feel fantastic about it. I could be lighter. Go further with being strange. And play more with Vicky. Ling was saying I look locked in my pelvis (something I heard a lot at drama school) so tomorrow I’m going to focus on being loose there.

Edmund: It’s good - I love this piece because I feel like I’ve ‘made’ it. I can flirt more with the audience. Be more angelic. Dropped a line at the end too, but just laughed through it and nobody knew. 

Erection scene: Ben was absolutely on fire tonight! Ling told me her friend from Le Coq came and said he would never forget that actor [Ben]. I don’t need to play annoyed with Ben’s character for not listening. I need to be so serious and involved in my problem. The more I am serious, the better it is for Ben. Ling (my mentor at the moment ;)) said what I’m  doing is really important because it allows Ben to do his thing. And man was his thing hilarious last night! From beginning to end people were in hysterics! The biggest thing I need to work on is not corpsing! Because I was close a lot last night!

Chamber-pot scene: I had so much fun doing this scene last night. I really felt pleasure pulsing through me. It really worked. Philippe suggested we find a real potty for the scene, instead of a bucket, so hopefully we can get a cheap one soon.

~

So a great opening night for me. It feels good to be performing with an audience again and I’m looking forward to the next four nights.

Tiger Lillies & Guinness

On Saturday night I went to a performance by The Tiger Lillies at La Maison de la Musique in Nanterres (a small town outside of Paris).

The show was called The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

It was a collaboration between the band and visual artist Mark Holthusen, with constant animated video projections throughout.

It was cool for a bit, but it quickly became repetitive and boring...and because the theatre was so dark, the seats were so nice and cushiony, the music was so slow and moody, and the visuals were so dreamy...I fell asleep.

I'd never seen The Tiger Lillies before, but I'd heard of them. They have a reputation for doing really cool dramatic performances. And tonight's show was definitely unique for a band, which I appreciate, but I didn't think it worked. It was basically just one big long (live) music video.

~

Also had the mandatory pint of Guinness for St Patrick's Day....

...and hung out with some new friends Amanda has met through ex-pat websites. We went Karaoke-ing with them last night too! Great to meet new people outside of school :)

~

Sunday:

Cue to cue and run through of the show. Odd being at school on a Sunday! I have many quick changes! But it's going to be great :)

4

Philippe was harsher today. Yes or No. Because with all the pieces presented today there wasn't much time for anything else. If it's a 'yes' you're in the show on Monday. If it's a 'no' you're not, but you can try again to be in the show on Tuesday.

~

Christine and Duncan presented the scene with Christine's character trying to seduce Duncan's pubescent porter character. "Myself, I say NO!" The rhythm was boring, and Christine still came across "a bit sick."

~

I presented my Edmund the Bastard monologue from King Lear. I had prepared this since first showing it, and got the instrumental track of a big band version of I've Got The World On A String, which I then put the text over the top of, singing and dancing sometimes, dressed like Frank Sinatra with a cigar and a glass of whiskey.

 I was a bit nervous. It was a risk for me. Because I really went there with the idea...which I thought Philippe might have killed me for. i.e. Too much of an idea. But it worked. "Yes."

~

Barbara presented her Spanish monologue. "You have to cut half...we take a bit...it's clear you don't know the text." 

~

Ben presented his Antony monologue from Julius Caesar. 

Friends, Romans, Country men, Lend me your ears...

He started deep and slow, but couldn't find the  same dangerous energy he'd found last time. So he wasn't chosen for Monday. "There are a lot of people round you and you need to change their opinion."

"You have to change our opinion. Like a lawyer. Or a politician."

He needs the "voice of a guy who has something to say."

~

Thomas and Mia presented a scene from Chekhov's The Seagull. I had never seen them do the scene before, although I think they did present it once when I was away. It was great though. A big long scene, and they gave it lots of life. There were waves of different emotions and colours. It was really nice. = YES.

"What you did is not bad at all, but I don't think it's the character [Mia's]...She is more beautiful, but I am okay."

"It's well done. They have a good relationship." 

Philippe worked a bit with Thomas too. "Is he sentimental? With a thick sauce?" Philippe makes fun of Thomas's sentimental tendency in order to get rid of it. Then he got Thomas to imitate Herbert vo  Karajan...an orchestra and opera conductor...and a Nazi...which Philippe always gets Thomas to imitate because he's Austrian! In this way, with this rhythm, it's more fun and interesting. 

"If you are sentimental with your sauce, I'm not open for his suicide."

~

Lee presented his Feydeau monologue in the style of Hitler but it wasn't accepted. I was getting changed so I didn't see it, but I think it was a 'no' because it was heavy.

~

I presented my Puck monologue with Vicky. We did it in costume today. Me in my pink wig and tight gay angel costume, and Vicky with a turban on her head, in Muslim attire, and with a mustache. The image is good! Vicky worked with me as a director earlier today. We found a few different rhythms - weird/magical, gossiping, and a strange little laugh, and a few games - like constantly being amazed by my surroundings. We were going for strange, more than funny. I was quite nervous about it, because I don't feel that strong working in this way. One rhythm, then change! Then another rhythm. But it's good for me to learn! We did it, and people laughed, and Vicky and I found a good little game in which whenever I walked in front of her she would shuffle to one side. But then me dancing about led to me standing in front of her again. It was a yes from Philippe, although he changed our staging. Originally, we had Vicky up high above the wings to stage right, and me on the floor below. But he got us to stand side by side, and for her to follow me about. It was much better like this, because our images are so different - short and masculine + tall and feminine - it's more clear right next to each other.

~

So I have four scenes in the show!

Erection problems, the chamber pot on my head, Edmund the Bastard, and Puck! Really happy with this. Now to stay in the show over the week!

“This One Is No Problem. Everybody Is Good. Everybody.”

Crunch time. Today we started showing scenes to get into next week’s show. Either a yes or a no.

~

Sophia, Mia, Katy and I presented our Chamber Pot scene which we had worked on a lot since the last time we presented it. We fixed the first half by having better games and complicité together (this came after nearly wanting to kill each other) and by adding some physical gags too. It went really well - things clicked. 

“This one is no problem. Everybody is good. Everybody.”

Great to be accepted into the show, but also just great to get our scene working and for us all to be happy after a bit of struggle.

~

Mike tried his Jail Bird monologue again, but crumbled 10 seconds in out of nervousness. He asked if he could do it again. “It’s impossible to trust you - every night you have a crisis.” He did have another go, and although he finished it this time, it wasn’t any better. Not listening. No pleasure. No fixed point. But it’s fucking hard when you’re nervous like we all were today. “No.”

~

Mia, Vicky and Lee presented their scene again, after working on making the seduction of Redillon (Lee’s character) clearer. “Not possible for Monday [night]”...meaning they can work on it and show again next week for Tuesday night. Philippe said he couldn’t understand Mia, and that he wasn’t sure if they have fun together.

Also, “Redillon is not a fucker in our head”...and he should be.

~

Ben and I presented the scene from Jail Bird we had improvised last week with the arm wrestle. We worked on it for a few hours before class, finding physical games (taking off each other’s mustache, wig, and jacket) and rehearsing a bit. It was the first day we really had our lines down too. We had done a few good run throughs, but we decided to just play on stage...but in practice that went wrong. We were heavy, way too loud (“like a demonstration”) and it got hysterical. “Like this, impossible.” It needs to be gentlemanly. And the arm wrestle needs to come out of a game. We didn’t set up the situation well. 

~

Steph showed her Winter’s Tale monologue again in the style of the VIP at Chateau Versailles, but she didn’t have the same quality as with the room full of people. “We don’t think all the time she wants to be beautiful...She has something militant and boring.”

She tried a second time, and she improved. It was more beautiful. She was more open. But it was long. So Philippe accepted her for Monday night but they are cutting the monologue in half, and if she’s good in the show then they might increase the length more and more.

~

Lee tried his Ionesco monologue again. “We don’t see any feeling...Your feeling, your panic, your love for Daisy - we don’t see anything...So we are bored.”

“You have to have fun to put passion.”

He tried again, but this time it became aggressive. “It’s not good to be aggressive. It’s not good for anybody.”

Lee also tried his “I’m leaving” monologue with the Hitler-fit, but he couldn’t make it work. I think because he didn’t ease into it well enough. He was trying to listen to us, to try to get us to warm to him, but we wanted him to do something. He got quite upset because he felt like he got up when he didn’t really want to.

~

Another day of presentations tomorrow. I feel a bit relieved because I already have two scenes in the show - the chamber pot scene and the erection scene - so the issue of me wanting to get in the show is irrelevant. And it made the “no” for Ben and my arm wrestle scene okay. But I feel for many of my classmates at the moment. 

“When we are bad we have a beautiful humanity coming.”

“It’s Always Good To Shit On A Rose.”

I was quite nervous today because Sophia, Mia, Katy and I were ready to present our chamber-pot-on-my-head scene again, and it’s ‘yes or no for the show’ time. But Philippe wanted to see new scenes (ones he’d never seen before) first, and so we didn’t even get the chance to get up. Why was I nervous? Because I care about the work we’ve done, and I don’t want it to be binned. And I want to be in the show. But actually, wanting to be in the show isn’t going to help me much. It’s a given. But I don’t need to dwell on it. And I’m really happy with the work I’ve done in this workshop, so I’m going to try and just go with the flow.

~

Vicky and Steph presented a mother/daughter scene from A Flea in her Ear. Vicky was good - alive and fun, but Steph didn’t show herself. She didn’t present herself with fun and life. “This scene is in the bin. Always. I do not want to see it again...it’s a pity because I liked the monster [Vicky].”

~

Mike and Akron presented the scene in which Bouzin has to give his pants away. Akron was okay (he’s finally starting to come out of his shell a bit) but Mike was bad. “No no no. Impossible to present it again. Forbidden.”

Philippe said the scene is funny if we look at the guy who has no pants and we think he will ask Bouzin for his...and then he does. “But today...nothing.”

~

Duncan presented some text of which the first half was something modern (I don’t know what) and the second half was Macbeth. Philippe worked with him for a long time. Playing in a bureaucratic kind of way, with white face, whilst playing cards. Speaking in a neutral tone, like a weather forecast. 

He also got Duncan dressed in a straight jacket, and tied with rope held by a guardian - as if he was in a mental hospital. Speaking as if his body is here, but his mind is far far way. Somewhere else.

“The text is really dramatic so if you put more sauce...[it becomes too much]...but if the way you say is neutral we hear much better.”

 I asked Philippe about playing against the text, about playing the opposite. But he denied doing either. “I try to find a beautiful colour of the text with the pleasure of the actor. It’s not opposite.” Sophia asked “should we play the image?” , i.e. play how we look, and he said “the image is enough.”

He spoke about how image, text, and actors all do different things. And they are not the same. Music has it’s life. Set has it’s life. “The director has to give life to many things.”  To help us dream for all these different elements, and “all the dreams don’t go to the same place.”

Asked why he goes in different ways with different actors he replied: “The play could go to this way with this actor. But with another actor the play could go another way. It depends on the poetry of the actor.”

~

Lee also showed a monologue from a play called Rhinoceros by Unesco. A wee way in Philippe got Lee to say “I speak too much and I don’t show the humanity of the character.”

“We don’t see your humanity. We see bla bla bla.”

“We don’t dream around the character because we hear too many words.”

~

Philippe spoke a little at the end of class about rejecting the past and going in your own way. 

“It’s always good to shit on a rose...I don’t want to understand like my father. I want to understand like me.”