“If We See Theatre, Something Is Wrong.”

Oh French bureaucracy...How I missed thee... I spent four hours at the police prefecture today in order to get my titre de séjour (long stay student visa). I got what I needed (yay) but there’s yet another stage to go (doh!)...

And because of that I only got to school by 5.30pm and thus only caught the last hour. It’s quite strange coming from the real world straight into the atmosphere of class. It’s more clear just how strange the world is at this school!

~

Christine and Duncan presented the scene in which the sexy woman tries to make love to the young porter. Duncan was good as a dorky pubescent 17 year old, but Christine was strange as her woman. Philippe said she seemed “sick” and “not healthy.” We also couldn’t hear her. She never raised her voice to a good level, and then when people were saying “more! more!” she jumped to shouting and it was too much.

“I don’t see the game.”

“It has to be more direct.” - We need to see Vicky with Philippe’s son...

“You have to speak loud. If you don’t speak loud many things don’t come out. And they have to come out.”

“You [Christine] eat yourself too much...you eat yourself.”

~

Steph presented a monologue of Hermione from A Winter’s Tale.

Sir, spare your threats!
The bug which you would fright me with I seek.

“I don’t see you...I see theatre...If we see theatre, something is wrong.”

Philippe then got the whole class (except me because I wasn’t in costume) to go on stage as if it was a grand dance at Chateau Versailles and Steph is the most important guest. She walked slowly between different clumps of people, saying her text. Light and simple. When she raised her voice Philippe said “we go up, but don’t go to anger.”

At one point Philippe said to Steph, whilst she was doing her monologue, “I love your lipstick.” A little shot of pleasure. I feeling a little bit silly, and beautiful.

“She is beautiful. We love her.”

“You have to do it like this...without everyone else.”

Philippe also told her she needs to do her hair and wear makeup to class from now on. To be a woman - not a boy scout. “I don’t see you when you present yourself as a gymnastics teacher...You have to be beautiful every day.”

~

At the end of class I asked Philippe about how to avoid going in a conventional way, because I understand it’s bad, but I find it hard to know exactly which way to go (although following your fun is a good start).

“Kill academic - It’s not your friend.”

~

Philippe was pretty funny today, mumbling to himself:

“I love to think about something stupid...You could be surprised by how many stupid things I think about in a day.”