Week 2 of classes was great. My classmates and I managed to make some after school plans quite a few days this week, which made it feel like there is more to live than eating, sleeping, and RADAing (Blog post about that coming tomorrow). We also started rehearsals for Agamemnon, the ancient Greek tragedy. This rehearsal process is quite a bit different than past shows. Because it is first and foremost an educational experience, we spend a lot of time (~40 minutes) at the beginning of every session warming up, playing bonding and group trust games in order to sync everyone's energy and focus. Not only would this help the synergy of any cast, but also it is particularly important for us as we develop our sense of Greek chorus. The educational purpose of the production also means that our director, Phil, is much more open to extended discussions about the text, the mythological backstory, or our opinions on how to translate our ideas from the page to the stage. At first glance, the prospect of being a member of a Greek chorus did not sound like much of a challenge. However, it is now apparent that we will all be playing multiple parts by alternating the casting of the large roles, assigning some smaller roles, and then developing our chorus character as a distinct member of a cohesive group of Athenian elders. Most dramatically, our rehearsals differ in that we have not actually been assigned roles. Every day, we have read another section of the script, each student jumping in on different lines of the chorus when they feel compelled. This means that the more aggressive you are, the more lines you get and the more roles you can claim for yourself. Not only have I snatched a good number of chorus lines, I have also staked my claim on Calchas, the seer, and Herald, who brings news of victory in Troy back to Athens. There is undoubtedly more to come as our rehearsals progress!
As we have delved into ancient Greek history with Phil in rehearsals, we have also begun to explore the ideas of ancient Greek culture through history lectures with Aoife Monks (pronounced Eefa) and Andrew Tidmarsh. Our period dance class, unfettered by clear descriptions of dance technique of the ancient Greek time period, has been mostly an exercise in expressive/interpretive dancing. This past session, we toyed with the idea of dancing like the elements, fire, air, water, and earth, as described by Rudolf Laban. Laban developed a manner of evaluating movement by categorizing qualities of movement. Very simply put, you choose one from each of the following three categories (Time: sustained/sudden, Space: direct/indirect, Weight: strong/light) and allow them to influence the way you use your body dynamically.
As we have delved into ancient Greek history with Phil in rehearsals, we have also begun to explore the ideas of ancient Greek culture through history lectures with Aoife Monks (pronounced Eefa) and Andrew Tidmarsh. Our period dance class, unfettered by clear descriptions of dance technique of the ancient Greek time period, has been mostly an exercise in expressive/interpretive dancing. This past session, we toyed with the idea of dancing like the elements, fire, air, water, and earth, as described by Rudolf Laban. Laban developed a manner of evaluating movement by categorizing qualities of movement. Very simply put, you choose one from each of the following three categories (Time: sustained/sudden, Space: direct/indirect, Weight: strong/light) and allow them to influence the way you use your body dynamically.
The most exciting way we have begun to incorporate ancient Greece into our curriculum, however, is stage combat! Our combat professor, Philip D'Orleans, is exactly what you would expect from such a teacher. He is tall, dark, muscular, and he ties his long hair back in a tightly bound ponytail. He is a little bit more strict than our other professors, but his is the only class in which someone could get really injured if we're not careful. In one class, Philip taught us what he said would usually take 4 weeks. We began learning some footwork and some parries! Although we are working with short swords now, they are still really heavy, and I think my arms will end up asymmetrically muscular by the end of this semester.
Although we had four sessions of clowning with Jeremy during our first two weeks, we will not be studying clown at all for the rest of the semester. During our last session, Jeremy gave us one of the strangest, most esoteric exercises in which I have ever participated. Five students including myself were told to sit in chairs facing Jeremy and the other three students. Jeremy led us through a guided imagining that our bodies and then our emotions were getting heavier and heavier. Then, he reversed it. He told us that as we imagined our bodies getting lighter, our emotions were also lightening. This is going to sound really hippy dippy and weird because that is exactly what it was... As our emotions got progressively lighter we began to laugh. When we started to smile or laugh, we were instructed to stand up. If we really lost it laughing, we were told to stand on our chairs so that our physical height matched our emotional height. We probably spent 25 minutes getting up and down as the energy ebbed and flowed through the group inspiring giggles, chuckles, full belly chortles, and at some point nearly-crying, hysterical, heaving gasps of laughter. For the duration of the exercise, no one said anything. The only sound was the laughter. It was a little intoxicating, and the energy combined with the lack of oxygen made me a little light-headed. I'm really not sure what the point of the laughter was, but it definitely made everybody vulnerable to the energy flow of the group, which is very important for ensemble work. At the end of our final session, Jeremy gave us time to report back some feedback on what we got out of his class and what we will take with us to apply to our work in the future. I think the most meaningful lesson has been the importance of communicating with the audience as much as you communicate with your fellow actors. This is a sense that I am learning can be applied even to performances with a dictated fourth wall. Other than that, Jeremy has been adamant that acting is mostly being comfortable with just being yourself and being ready to receive energy from your partners. Whereas acting can easily become an exercise in exerting charisma, charm, and ease, he says that it is far more compelling to see a person just be. After all, he says, "we are human beings. Not human doings."
Most of our professors seem frustrated at how little time they have to teach us what they know. It seems like they are anxious to make an impact on us and are nervous that we won't have enough time to learn everything properly. They are probably right. We only get movement and voice once a week, which is not nearly often enough to begin creating new habits. Everyone suggests we practice outside of class. I do some work out of class, but I can only do so much voluntary homework after a long day of classes.