"And The White Man Came To Africa!"

Philippe got all the tramps in the class to say Ben's apartheid text as an ensemble. At the end he got them all to sing to the sound of African drumming "and the white man came to Africa!" This was one of those situations where you wonder whether what we are doing in class is racist. But we weren't making fun of African people. We were doing it so say "fuck you" to the oppressors.

~

Philippe also got all the transvestites to come together on stage and sing to the Westside Story song America with lyrics about not wanting to be gay. I did a rap. It was bad.

~

Philippe worked with Barbara as her punk Bouffon. He got her to dance to punk music and show us what it is to be a punk. He then got all the tramps to surround her and to say "we could care less for love...for justice" whilst every now and then Barbara would step forward and scream "FUCK YOU!!!" at the top of her lungs - finishing in a strong pose. 

Barbara looks a bit like this.

"She is too much anger to be Bouffon... She could be a young Bouffon." As in, she has the rage of youth, which wears off with age and understanding. The older Bouffons understand the rage doesn't get you anywhere.

~

We also tried the Royal Family wedding scene again, but this time with Vicky as Princess Katie. With her body shape and face, it worked better. She's not unattractive at all, but she doesn't look like a royal princess, so it's funny. 

Philippe also coached Sophia about the voice she used when doing 'the weather'. What she did was too good an imitation. "It's not the same voice as your Bouffon... It has to be your voice as a Bouffon." That is, have your Bouffon imitate a BBC voice, but badly.

~

Vicky presented a scene as Mother Ubu. 

"We have to see this nasty woman so happy to be still alive." 

~

I asked Philippe again why we shouldn't take the costume of the person we are wanting to destroy. He said: "If you wear the costume of the person you'll be too much with the character." And if you're too much with the character you're less with the Bouffon. When you're with the character it can still be parody. But when you're with the Bouffon you can speak from those that have been oppressed and banished. It's darker. It has more guts. 

"Everything Has To Be A Shock."

Two weeks until the end of workshop show now. It's time to start presenting.

~

We continued working with Ben's apartheid text with a gang of transvestites at the beginning of class. 

Each one of us tried to say a line of the text in a gay voice - a way to see who the audience loves most - but none of us really got it. Then Philippe asked me to do my Oscar Wilde Irish-thing with the text. I sat on the floor with my legs to one side and said the text in a slow dreamy way whilst the rest of the transvestites did the can can behind me in slow motion. I felt like I was boring like this. But Philippe said I wasn't. New territory for me here as an actor. To be really light and sensitive. It's hard to gauge whether the audience is with you or not. Philippe said there's something in this (me with the text and the can can in the background) but he's not quite sure what it is.

Ben and I also did a rough performance of some text between God and Adam. "Adam's masturbating...that's disgusting." But we didn't really know the text so well. And I needed to play more boy-scout (I was still playing my irish Oscar Wilde). Still, something we could do - as Philippe was speaking about how we could have a half hour section of transvestites in the show.

~

Thomas and Mia presented a scene they'd written in which they imitated Marine Le Pen, a far-right French politician, and a far-right Austrian politician. 

The scene was set at a ball which they attended together, dancing to a waltz. 

In the scene they flirted with each other, calling each other cushy names. And towards the end Vicky, looking like an Arab, was brought out on the stage and was beaten up by the other dancers at the ball. The punch line was that most of the Arabs had been taken out (or killed) in Austria, but that they keep some around "just for the fun".

At the end Philippe commented that "what we saw was too small" and "I was not shocked by that." They can go a lot further.

"We have to receive a shock...[so] we say 'you make a point'."

~

Duncan presented a scene he'd written in which he, dressed in a straitjacket and looking sick, spoke to the audience about the care he was receiving at the mental hospital. 

Sam also featured as a sick person sitting in a trolley behind him, and she echoed his text and sang now and then. Although it was unclear exactly who the text was saying fuck you to (he mentioned Jesus a lot and it was confusing) Duncan was great as an actor and Sam was great with him too - light and sensitive - and so Philippe said "they have something good together...so you are accepted."

~

Sophia and Lee also quickly presented an idea to mock the recent royal wedding. 

To make fun of the ridiculous commentaries and media attention it received, and to say fuck you to the royal family. It was only quick as it was shown right at the end of the class, but I think it's a great idea with good legs!

~

"You don't have to be vulgar. You have to be vulgar when it's necessary to be vulgar. But you don't have to be vulgar."

"Everything has to be a shock."

"If you start to say the truth and nobody laughs, it's dangerous." This is why comedy is good for Bouffon. Although Philippe reminded us that 'funny' doesn't have to mean 'ha ha' - it can also be 'ding doo' in our heads - but laughing is good.

~

I've been feeling quite unmotivated this week. I know time is running out but I just haven't felt the urge to work. And I haven't got up on stage so much over the last two weeks because of it. And so now I'm trying to get out of this rut. I think I've been avoiding doing Philippe's texts, or the Ubu texts, because I'm not so interested in them as an artist. Which means, if I was a director or a writer, I wouldn't choose to do a play like this. I'm not attracted to the ugliness I think. But it's silly. I'm here to learn. As an actor primarily  - at least in Philippe's point of view. And I will learn something from doing the text regardless of whether I like it or not. 

I have my Brian Tamaki text I definitely want to continue with. And I want to do something about Captain Cook and the colonisation of New Zealand. There's a scene André and I did a while ago that we could work on, a moment when I made fun of a priest speaking gibberish Latin which I could go back to, and then various texts I could learn. So I'm not out of ideas. I just have felt a bit bla over the last wee while. Perhaps because I've been too alone in what I'm doing. Whereas when I work with others I have more of a drive to go somewhere. 

So it's time to change.

"It's Good To Care As A Human Being But As An Actor It Has To Come With The Lightness Of Something Else."

Philippe brought two copies of the bible to school today to better equip him in his biblical-knowledge war against Mike...(not really). But Philippe did advise Mike again to say something for today, and for Bouffon - to lean towards comedy.

"You have to think 'what is funny?'."

"It's good to see God ashamed to be Jew...for comedy."

~

Sam presented a new bastard - a sort of Scottish child abuser. She was big and alive, but she moved a lot and we didn't love Sam as the performer. Philippe got her to play her bastard a little, and then stop and smile at us to show her having fun (and when she was faking it, he got Mark to kiss her neck). "We have to see you having fun because you imitate this bastard, and when you imitate this bastard you kill him."

He then got her to do far less: to be light, to not move her body, to be slow, to be quiet... "When she is like this I like her. I am touched. And when she is bur-bur-bur I hate her."

"If you start without looking for something special as an actor it's mediocrity."

~

Akron and Yuichi presented a scene from Ubu. 

"You have to have more fun to be disgusting...it has to be more vulgar."

~

Tim presented an eternal love boring woman character who was a kind of new-age hippie.

But his imitation was really boring. Philippe then got Tim to have a loud shouting argument with him without moving, and he was much more alive, "having fun to pretend to be pissed off."

~

Ben tried his apartheid speech again but this time dressed as a transvestite. Philippe got all the transvestites to sit on benches around Ben on stage, and for Ben to say the text like a gay queen.

 The idea being that a mixture of a transvestite costume, the fun of playing a gay queen, would make the apartheid speech absolutely ridiculous and thus destroy it. Unfortunately Ben couldn't quite find the gay voice and kept creeping back to his safe characters. He suggested that he finds it hard to be light with such a heavy issue for him. Philippe said "it's to good care as a human being but as an actor it has to come with the lightness of something else." He said the writer and director should have something to say, but the actor should be giving themselves and their lightness without worrying about saying anything in particular.

“In Theatre We Have To Understand Immediately.”

Ben began class by presenting a number in which he said a speech by Hendrik Verwoerd about the benefits of Apartheid.

He did it in a South African accent, with black skin like an African, with his hands bound and a tyre jamming his arms to his body. He also had dripping wet hair. This was a reference to a horrible way in which African’s were killed - by putting tyres over them, covering them with kerosene, and lighting them on fire.

However Philippe said the image was confusing. We weren’t clear whether it was a slave speaking, or a slave mocking, or perhaps a mechanic speaking (his makeup wasn’t believable).

“In theatre we have to understand immediately.”

Philippe suggested Ben dress like a white man in a nice suit, but with the tyre image. Or to change and do a positive Bouffon moment where Nelson Mandela arrives. It wasn’t so clear where he should go yet. But “we have to try many things and we take the most shocking in a good way.”

~

Mike presented a script he had written in which Cain and Abel come to God’s Birthday party. God like’s Abel’s present (meat) but doesn’t like Cain’s (veges). Eventually Cain kills Abel and gives him to God as a gift (meat).

The problem was his text was too long, and there wasn’t any clear actions to go with the text. And Philippe said without action it’s just bla bla bla. It also wasn’t clear what was the blaspheme in the text. Who was Mike saying fuck you too? He said he wanted to show how ridiculous the bible is, but it was a bit loose. Philippe suggested Mike adjust the scene to speak about something from today, such as immigration. “You have to speak about something from today.”

~

Duncan also directed an improvisation of a scene he wants to write, in which he says fuck you to charity workers. He had a bunch of homeless tramps on one side of the stage, and a clean positive charity worker on the other, talking about ‘saving the animals’. 

I didn’t like where the scene was going because I feel like people that try to save animals are doing something good, and that who’s to say that we should be saving humans before we save animals? But it turns out this isn’t what Duncan wanted to say. He wanted to say fuck you to charities that rip people off. That ask for $1 a day but actually only give 1 cent to the people they say they’re going to help. 

I think the scene could be good if the person asking for money is fundraising for something ridiculous, like a round-the-world trip for a rich school group. Then the image of a rich person asking for more money, next to a group of people who really need it, might be interesting.

More Than Meets The Eye...

It was autocourse day today - we were supposed to do a scene from King Ubu, but as we were only told about it on Wednesday, none of us were ready with the text. So it was a bit of a quiet Friday. However a few people showed something.

~

Lee presented his idiot transvestite trying to imitate Paris Hilton. 

He had this big exciting intro music, which was ridiculous and funny. Philippe got him to be excited about AIDS with the energy of the music, and in the background have Sam walk across the stage with her drip and hospital gown outfit. In this way it makes what Lee is doing more Bouffon. Whereas before it's more of a character.

~

Akron, dressed like 'Murry Antoinette', and Yuichi dressed as a Geisha, presented a scene they'd put together quickly. 

It was totally unclear, and crazy. But funny. Because Akron is mad, and Yuichi (with his lack of English language) doesn't have much of a clue what's going on. Philippe interviewed them afterwards, getting them to explain the process, and what Yuichi understood they were doing (translated by Michiko) and this was a good laugh. They were a good strange idiot couple together.

~

There were a few improvisations from the text No Son of Mine between Elizabeth and Mary, meeting after a long time. Ben was great just being a dork dressed as a woman...

~

And I got up at the end and presented a number I've been working on all week. I'd written a text in which Bishop Brian Tamaki preaches about the importance of giving to his people at Destiny Church. He promises them Salvation from God...if they purchase a Destiny Church T-Shirt for just $29.95. And he says God will forgive them and give them eternal love...for only $15.99 when they buy a copy of his biography More Than Meets The Eye.

I had Vicky come on with me, dressed like Hannah Tamaki, and I'd made the T-Shirt and Biography and other items to sell for God's services. 

I was really hesitant to present however, because I'd only just learnt the text and was afraid I wouldn't do the writing/number justice if I screwed it up before really knowing it. But I wanted to show in front of the combined first and second years, and I told myself that the worst thing that can happen is that I learn something. So I did it.

And it worked. People were laughing, the images were good, the text wasn't too bla bla bla. But Philippe stopped me just a bit after I'd got to the selling part (I'd worked hard to be subtle up until here). He said we think I am Brian Tamaki the way I played it. "We believe you." So I was more of a character than a Bouffon. He then got André to come on stage and to imitate me playing Brian. I'd say a few lines of text, and then André would imitate that (dressed like a homeless man). Vicky also imitated which was funny because her pronunciation of Maori names like Matariki and Tama were all jumbled up and bad. Then he got them to laugh a little as I said my text. So I say "God will save you. He will watch over you and he will save you" and beside me are two nasty looking people laughing away. And Philippe got us to build the laughter. Till we were all cracking up on stage whilst I yelled out promises of God's love. And in this way it became Bouffon. Really dark.

Philippe said it's good to trick the audience at first - to pretend to be normal - but then after five minutes we start to kill Brian Tamaki and his church and by the end we have totally destroyed him. He said it could be a big big number with more and more Bouffons coming on stage, presenting things to buy, and laughing. So I'm going to adjust it and write in this way. Because I really like it!

"If You Write And You Play, You Need To Ask Someone To Direct. You Can't Do Everything."

Steph offered an improvisation for a scene she wants to write. A scene between God and the Devil playing cards, betting on outrageous things.

Mike and I had a go, with Barbara as the dealer. We had fun together, but the scene didn't really go anywhere. Philippe said rather than God and the Devil it's better to have Hitler and Churchill playing together, or Al Capone and the head of the FBI, and by the end of the play we realise they are a metaphor for God and the Devil,

~

"In Latin countries we have a lot of fun to blaspheme."

We had a discussion about what is blasphemous today, as Mark was saying it seems like everything has been blasphemed in England. What is sacred? What is the unsayable? Voldemor-shhhh! ... It depends on where you are I think.

~

Vicky and André played a couple walking through a hospital looking for Ward 13 where their daughter was. Philippe got them to take a long time walking through different hallways getting lost. Not frantic, just trying to find Ward 13. 

When they finally found it he got Sam to come out, who is dressed like an AIDS victim in a hospital robe, with a drip, and dark spots on her body. André and Vicky made a bit of small talk with her, and then Sam said "I am positive."

~

Charles presented a terminally ill homeless character living in a bin, but it wasn't clear which bastard he wanted to attack. Then Philippe got Charles to stay in the bin, and be visited by his elegant daughter played by Sophia. She had come to visit him. Charles played really casual, and through small talk, announced that he's going to be dying very soon. "Today, tomorrow, any day now. Not really sure." It was a way to say "look at what you do to old people" these days.

~

"If you write and you play, you need to ask someone to direct. You can't do everything."

~

Lee got up again with his idiotic transvestite. "He has something fantastic but il est cun."

Philippe advised him to find his own theatre. "Not this theatre, but another theatre."

"If you accept that you are special and you sell your idiot you could be great."

“When You Start You Have To Do Something People Never Saw. You Have To Do That. Something Absolutely New. It Helps You To Start.”

Mike offered a text he’d written at the beginning of class today featuring God and other biblical figures. But Philippe told him he has to work more because there are historical inaccuracies. But he also said it’s okay to change things if you want to. A little confusing, but I think the problem with Mike’s text was more that it wasn’t clear than that it wasn’t accurate. 

~

Charles also presented a number following on from last week’s autocourse with the letter saying “I’m gay.” Dressed as a homeless tramp, he imitated a pompous upperclass doctor speaking about the many ways to deal with a gay son. But the writing/performance didn’t build or change. “It’s too long...it’s bla bla bla.”

“Theatre: We need action, we need images, we need many things.”

I don’t think he has a big problem. It’s just a timing thing. And it was good for me to observe, because I’m having a similar issue with the number I’m writing. It’s a fine line - the timing to get to the good stuff. Especially when you’re trying to be subtle. You need tactics, but they can’t go too long!

~

Then we read a scene (Act V Scene I) from King Ubu by Alfred Jarry in which Ma Ubu and King Ubu have a big argument. “We need monsters...we need people tough.”

Philippe decided to try doing the scene all in shadows, so we set up a big sheet and put lights behind it. 

“You have to give life to the shadow.”

I asked why shadows and he said it leads the actor away from playing a character. It pushes you to be bigger with your gestures. To play less as an actor and more as a puppeteer. And “it gives a good game.” He said he’d never tried it before, but it makes sense since the scene is set in a cave. And it worked. It was a lot of fun too. Vicky and Mark were a great pair, ‘punching’ each other, farting on each other, biting each others fingers, and generally being horrible horrible couple. Ben and André also had fun together making hand animals. “Not the exercise, but they have a good fun.”

~

“If you are alive and you have fun, I take it. I’m not that complicated.”

“Bouffon humour is black.”

At the end of class somebody asked advice about what to do after school has finished. Philippe said it’s good to make a team of two or three. By yourself is really difficult. “Alone is impossible.” He said “England is a good land for theatre” because it has many little towns to present a show.

“It’s good to present something new.”

“When you start you have to do something people never saw. You have to do that. Something absolutely new. It helps you to start.”

“It’s in the genes of the school to do something never seen. Something unbelievable.”

“The job is to be really well known as soon as possible.”

Philippe also spoke about having a director to guide you when you are making work in a company. “A director is really important. But if he is a wanker and destroys your spirit, he is bad.” A directors job is not to impose his ideas on your project. His job is to help you make sure your spirit is always shining.

~

There was a really good feeling in the class today. People were joking around and we laughed a lot.  And it was hot! Summer is coming!

“You Need To Have A Tactic As A Writer Or As A Director...The More Your Tactic Is Clever, The More We Love You.”

We began with an exercise to have fun to imitate the political bastard, and then to use that imitation to speak some text from Philippe’s play No Son of Mine. Essentially the text is God telling Jesus that he’s not the nice guy his son is telling the world that he is, and that he wants Jesus to shut up.

~

Mark imitated an aristocratic bastard from England. He was dressed up like him, but Philippe got Mark to change back into his unemployed skin-head outfit, but to keep just the hat from his aristocratic man.

“You don’t have to put all the costume of a guy...You don’t have to change all your costume.”

Philippe spoke about the importance of complicité between the Bouffon band. To show this Philippe got Mark to say some text, then every now and then go to shake hands with Lee, who was also on the stage. Even when one is nasty and the other is abused they are still happy to play with each other. To say fuck you together. United in purpose.

~

Sophia imitated Margaret Thatcher very well.

Then Philippe got two other actors to join her, and they read another piece of Philippe’s text which was mocking the father, the son, and the holy spirit aka the bastard, the eternal love, and the arse-licker.

~

Vicky tried a politician in her little goatee-d arab character, but Philippe stopped her saying “I dont think the costume of man helps you. He got her to imitate the Godfather first just to check, but she still wasn’t free. “I never saw your pleasure with this man.”

He then got her to swap costumes with Yuichi, from Japan, who is wearing a little red dress with a curly blond wig. Philippe got Vicky to imitate a virgin from Greece, and then to seduce Yuichi. It was an awkward strange scene, but funny because Vicky was in the shit and Yuichi’s English is terrible. But it was clear that Vicky was happier dressing like a pretty girl than an ugly man.

~

Mike pitched an idea for a scene he’d like to write involving Cain and Abel at God’s birthday party. He wasn’t so clear however what he wanted to say and who he wanted to say it to.

“You have to know who is your audience...what you want to say.”

“If you start with the blaspheme everybody leaves. Everyone says fuck you.”

“You need to have a tactic as a writer or as a director...The more your tactic is clever, the more we love you.”

~

Philippe spoke a little about just focusing on one thing in this workshop:

“If you want to discover too many things you don’t have time to work [on anything].”

I need to be aware of this, as I have a tendency to do this.

~

I got up last and tried to imitate George Bush Jr.

In my head I thought I could do a good job...but in reality...no. But strangely I didn’t get killed. Philippe simply got straight onto guiding me in another way. He got me to tidy up my costume (I was dressed like Brian Tamaki today with a black suit on) and asked me to imitate an adviser to Rupert Murdoch and speak about how the phone hacking scandal was actually a good thing for journalism.

I started to play James Murdoch - son of Rupert. I had this uptight british thing going on - very smiley and diplomatic. And then I had to keep it with the text from No Son of Mine. I was light and creepy. “I like it.” Another good arse-licker...my specialty?

Philippe then got me to try to find an eternal love nice-nice person to imitate. I tried an idea of an American Boy Scout. A bit like the kid from Up!

“Hi there madam! Would you like to buy some cookies?” This was a bit shallow though. More of an idiot than eternal love. I also opted to try Michael Jackson. I spoke in a high soft voice, and played a bit. Seeing if I could find him. I sang Heal the World and at times screamed “I love you!” (which people liked) (he said this to me at the NZ HiStory concert back in the 90s).

But Philippe said this was more commercial than eternal love. So I need to find something else. But I think if I study Michael I could find something good. Because he is so gentle and loving when he speaks. And there’s a great moment in This Is It when he makes up a little song to say thank you and I love you to his crew which I could imitate with text. Making up a tune to the text.

Actually before I even tried George Bush Jr. today he reminded me that I was very good with the dream of Oscar Wilde. So I should keep trying to go back to this quality in my work at the moment.

"We Have To Think 'It's Too Much! When Are You Going To Stop?!?'...And Then Another Mongol Comes Out."

A mélange of different presentations and bastards today, carrying on from Friday.

~

Ben and Duncan presented a scene of Pozzo and Lucky from Waiting for Godot. They had changed the text however - they'd condensed it and ignored the stage directions - and it didn't make any sense at all. They also didn't have the fun they first had when Philippe suggested they do this scene.

Philippe got Ben to imitate a dog trainer - "Sit! Shake! Heel! Staaaaaay!" - and then use this rhythm with the text of Pozzo bossing around Lucky. He's told them to redo it with the proper text now.

~

Steph presented Sarah Palin as a person to mock. But her first imitation was shaky: "We don't see your fun to imitate her."

Philippe then got Steph to dress more like Palin - with glasses and all. 

"You want to look like her to be nasty."And he got Vicky, dressed like a short arab guy with a goatee, to stand beside her hunched, acting as Palin's 'mongol' son. Every now and then Philippe got Steph to slap or kick Vicky, whilst keeping a big smile to the audience and talking in her 'hockey mom' hick voice. It ended with Philippe saying she needs to do a lot of research, because her imitation wasn't very accurate, and there are many many things to make fun of Palin and Steph was only scratching the surface.

"You have to look at her a long time if you want to do something strong."

"We have to think you put so many things around you to kill her.

"We have to think 'Oh! The Bouffon! He pushes too much!'...with good fun." 

You can go far. And be incredibly un-PC. "We have to think 'It's too much! When are you going to stop?!?'...and then another mongol comes out."

~

Mike presented the mayor of Toronto and his speech about how it's your own fault if you get hit on a bicycle because cycling is dangerous.

"We have to think how could this Bouffon have fun to destroy this politician."

"Every Bouffon - we have to see the tactics...the cleverness."

"We have to say 'Ha! This Bouffon has a spirit!'...so it depends on you."

~

Barbara, dressed like the girl with the dragons tattoo, sang a song called Optimistas. The first time she did it was boring. Philippe then got her to sing it again - softer - and have 'three machos' beating up a transvestite in slow motion, in the background. Once the transvestite was dead, the machos joined Barbara with a big smile. And at the end, the transvestite stood up and sang the song a bit by himself, and then softly said "fuck you."

~

Tim also presented a great weird scene in which he droned with his voice, and banged imaginary metal drums. "Clang clang clang clang clannng!" It seemed like he was mocking Buddhism, or perhaps a Buddhist bastard, but it wasn't clear. 

"It has to be everyone understands the same, otherwise it is impossible."

"You mock, okay. But it has to be beautiful how you do it."

~

Oh, and just to clarify:

“An arse-licker is a guy who licks to get a place.

A bastard uses force to get something in the life.

The nice guy...he forgives everybody.”

Dieppe

Amanda and I decided spontaneously to go the beach this weekend, so we got up early on Saturday morning and caught the train to Dieppe, a small town in Normandy. It was beautiful! We strolled the markets, bought some Normandy camembert for lunch and some seafood Paella (it's a seafood kind of place) and ate it on the big pebble beach whilst throwing stones into the water.

Then read our books in the sun on the top of a big cliff over looking the city. Fantastic!

Bastards, Arse-Lickers & Eternal Lovers

Today for autocourse we had to present one or more of a really nice eternal love person, an arse-licker suck-up, and a really nasty bastard. 

~

Mark was great as the demented unemployed guy who spoke like a constipated-croaky-frog about how “muslim’s can fuck off.” Philippe asked Mark a bunch of questions about his girlfriend and got Mark to speak to him just as himself, and then when Philippe hit his drum, to speak as his Bouffon. “You and the character are not far away from each other.” It should be an instantaneous switch.

~

Ben was very funny as his transvestite sitting on a sun-chair fishing with a stick to the music Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours (aka as the tune to Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh").

However it wasn't clear he was mocking anybody. It was just Ben being funny. "Funny...but not Bouffon."

~

I presented an overly positive motivational speaker. 

Philippe got me to change between the motivational text, and Iago (improvised, as I've forgotten the text). It was good for Iago -smiley and manipulative - although not as good without the real text. At the end Philippe asked what my characters was (a nasty, nice, or arse-licker) and I said nice - but he said no no he's definitely an arse-licker.

Whereas afterwards I showed another character I'd put together of a made-up effeminate gay version of Michael Jackson's PA. 

The actual guy.

My text was around how much I love and respect Michael for his work...but Philippe said this one was "just an idiot...we don't see him calculate."

~

André, dressed like a homeless man, said a speech of Pauline Hanson's. It was fantastic! Funny, shocking, and best of all - absolutely real.

He said it with an imitation of her voice and rhythms, which involved a bit of mouth and nose scrunching, but nothing else. Philippe wanted André to build it in intensity, and got Thomas to drum to help him. By the end André was screaming at the top of his lungs about how Australia needs to stop helping out the Aboriginals so that they will learn to fend for themselves.

I was amazed by the simplicity of this performance, and how effective it was. I'd like to make a show like this. A show called Politically Speaking - featuring the real speeches of various historical political figures from around the world - done in a Bouffon way.

~

Katy, dressed like a classy man, presented her eternal love angel character, but Philippe said "we see you are a gangster." We didn't believe she was sincere. Philippe worked with her, and by the end, had Katy speaking about how fantastic her country is whilst a bunch of us to sang In America behind her.

And then at the end Charles came forward as a homeless guy and sang a verse of In America and gave the opposite.

~

Akron presented another really great strange scene.

“We don’t know where exactly it’s going, but we like him...As a beginning of a show, it’s good.”

“You are bizarre...but it’s good to be bizarre.”

~

And Lee, dressed as a transvestite, ended the day with an amazing improvisation as an idiot. He got up on stage and was heading for the wings when Philippe started asking Lee questions about his life and what happened with his ex-girlfriend. Lee was open and playful, a bit of a dork, awkward - absolutely lovable. He was light, and witty, and very funny. And then after about 15 minutes Philippe suggested Lee do the scene he was planning to do. And Lee expressed fear that if he did an entrance the great vibe would disappear.

Lee: "I feel like I've got that good energy around me. What's that called?"


Audience members: "Aura".


Lee: "Nah I'm not a hippy."


The aura did disappear, but not for long. It was so funny seeing him deal with the flop. And he did with such spirit. He even ended up saying to Philippe "it's difficult to work with you." We were all in hysterics. He was with us, and he was beautiful.

“This one - if you sell it with something in your lemon - it’s fantastic.”

~

It was a really great class today. The atmosphere was buzzing - most of the first years were in class too - and everybody who got up did something great. A good end to the week!

“When You Have A Line, And There’s No Vibration On The Line, It’s Boring.” (Dickheads Part III)

More of the same today: Philippe working with individuals to discover their beauty and fun with their modern Bouffon.

~

Duncan went first, dressed in a white straight jacket with his arms tied behind him across his chest, and a muzzle covering his mouth - like Hannibal Lector.

He got him to hold a big cross in-between his taut arms and walk slowly towards the audience whilst speaking in a quiet deep voice...and every now and then (when Philippe beat his drum) Duncan would break out and scream like a monster through gritted teeth and a tense body. It was spooky!

“We receive Duncan very well...you don’t do too much and we receive something good.”

There was a short discussion about the muzzle he was wearing, because for Philippe it looked like a beard, and for those of us that knew the reference to Hannibal we knew it was a muzzle to stop him from biting people. But it was decided that it’s better for us not to be taken to a movie, or another actor’s role, in our imaginations. It’s better for us just to be with Duncan. So he tried it again without the muzzle, this time with two women dressed as men holding ropes attached to him, and Sam in a trolley holding a drip - who repeated some of his lines now and then with a little maniacal laugh, and Mark standing big and staunch at the back ready to slap Duncan if he went out of line. And it worked just as well without the muzzle, if not better.

~

Mia worked, dressed like a kind of sassy cuban prostitute. Philippe got all the transvestites to stand spread out on stage, as well as a few rough looking homeless guys, and told her she was “the best pute of the brothel.” 

The image was good, with her being revealed from behind the curtain centere-stage, but she had trouble finding the right voice. I wanted it to be really light, high, and beautiful, but it was more deep and strong. Eventually Philippe played some Edith Piaf and got Mia to sing her text (she always wins like this) and she was beautiful. Tall and powerful.

~

Finally Sophia got up, dressed like a mad homeless person who thinks she’s a young girl. Philippe got her to pretend to be Snow White, playing in the style of Children’s Theatre.

“I’m wishing! I’m wishing! For the man I love!”

Then he got her to pretend to be Marilyn Monroe - “It’s good when you’re a bit sexual” - and she was great like this. Fun, mocking, strange... “In this way you could be strong and beautiful.”

~

“They never say something strong in a strong way.”

“They suffer so much but they laugh about it.”

“When you have a line, and there’s no vibration on the line, it’s boring.” It has to buzz!

~

It really hit me today how powerful and beautiful Bouffon can be. You can watch something and be absolutely mesmerised by it, but at the same time be totally disgusted and saddened and angry. It’s dark, and tough, but so so beautiful. At the end you feel totally knocked out. Like you’ve just seen something wonderful, but you feel sick.

“Bouffon: It’s You When You Are Beautiful. No Doubt.” (Dickheads Part II)

Mark, as a homeless man, came out and was great as this slow shocked kind of thug who would laugh and cough weezily with a big smile on his face, as he spoke about dickheads spitting on him. Philippe said it was good, but a bit sad and that he could be a bit more free. But “the humanity is good.”

~

Ben as a transvestite got up and tried something, but that something didn’t work immediately, and he got a bit freaked out - felt blocked - and gave up. He should have kept going - trying different things.

“You stop and then you have to find something else.”

~

Akron came out as his transvestite who looks like Marie Antoinette.

He was great! Really bizarre, but we loved him. It was kind of Akron, doing a few things he finds funny, and then running out of ideas and coming out of character and looking clearly perplexed. But  he hung on! It was a really great moment for him.

“We don’t know exactly who he is but it’s something good.”

“You have many ideas and these idiot ideas are something good for you.”

“It is important to do a show you never saw.” Philippe said what Akron did today was completely original - we haven’t seen something like this before - and that originality is really important.

~

Tim as transvestite - a bit gay - imitating Steph and Katy gossiping. Philippe said he needs to be “more delicate...more precious.”

~

I got up in my red headed voluptuous transvestite outfit and spoke with an ugly Australian accent - kind of imitating Sam. I was nervous (flashes of Character all over again) and what I did didn’t work, so I tried another voice, and another. I was in the shit, flop central, and then I pulled the trolley off and left before getting killed. Philippe offered me another try. I came on again, and tried a few other things, but nothing really worked. (I’d say they could have, but I wasn’t sensitive enough, listening to the audience, and testing a few things subtly). At one point I sat on the bench on stage with my knees to one side and spoke with a quiet Irish accent. Philippe paused me, and got me to stay in this position without moving, and to speak with this voice - pretending to be Oscar Wilde in stuck in a prison cell. Sort of dreamy and self-reflective. 

He also got me to change my costume a bit. Take away the shoes, and the red head wig. Instead I put on a little black boys wig. So in an Oscar Wilde dreamy sort of way, with my eyes up in the sky looking at nothing but my thoughts, I improvised text. And then in that way I spoke about dickheads. And then Philippe got me to say “My name is Eve and I am the first mother.” Sometimes he got me to laugh a little, or to sob a little. Always really gentle and intimate. 

He led me to leave slowly with the trolley, and then in a flash quickly run back and gossip really loud and fast whilst laughing. Later, he got me to sing a young teenage girls song. Philippe said I “need to play like this” but younger. Like a young homosexual. So I need to get a new younger costume.

I felt good about what I did today. Once in the right space, I was light and listening. Tall and still. It’s a new way of performing for me - to be really gentle and intimate - but it feels like to go in this way will be good for me. To show my humanity - my sensitivity and vulnerability.

~

Katy, dressed like a man with bow tie and slicked back hair, imitated Clark Gable and then George Clooney, saying her text behind the shopping trolley and every now and then popping her head out and shooting people - making the ‘poff’ bang sound of a gun with her mouth, and then grinning.

~

“Bouffon: It’s you when you are beautiful. No doubt.”