Fourth Monday Morning
Our Warm-up Exercise this morning was to stand side by side with our partner, B leading A, and B's job was to initiate physical moves that A would be able to follow using her lateral/180 degree vision.
Hopefully, it would not be apparent to the onlooker who was leading and who was following, such would be the care taken on both sides. B to take responsibility for A, not initiating moves that A can't follow, but A also being as accurate in following as she can. The partners then swop.
To this we later add sound which the copier must copy.
Talked about learning our Mother Tongue. Talked about learning a song or a dance routine, a ballet or some complex choreography. Talked about how we learn a script or a speech.
Talked about how, as kids, we don't bother to argue - we just learn. But with the growth of the ego in us, we want to find our for ourselves, 'Don't tell me!','I know!' etc. Ego is vital, particularly to the performer but not so good if it gets in the way of learning changing and developing, maybe.
Later, at the end of the class, Claire is telling how she teaches 5 year old kids to swim. So she too is a teacher; maybe a better teacher than her teacher. How if she sees a tummy sticking out she says: 'Whats that?' and pokes her finger at it to remind her little pupil that it shouldn't be sticking out. She can see things her pupils can't see. She knows things her pupils have yet to find out...
VOICE WORK
Students take one line from Scene Three of Brecht's The Mother: (eg: 'Gherkins, tobacco, tea, fresh pasties') and try saying them to the far wall or the person on the far side of the room. Then to a a small child in front of them. Then to someone behind them but nearer. Then to a fly on the ceiling or a person on the the roof above.
They are in the market. As traders they have to call their wares above the din of the other market traders.
TEXT
In pairs preparation of Scene Three. How many units or subsections has it got? What's the position of the character called Another Worker to the strike some of the workers are demanding? Why is Karpov behaving the way he's behaving?
To these and other questions we try to come to answers during the last 30 minutes. Some students are asked or volunteer to improvise the meeting with the boss that Karpov has just come from. Others act as witnesses to that meeting telling how it seemed from their point of view. Some actually take the role of Karpov and try to defend themselves against the charge of 'selling out' or collaborating AGAINST the workers.
We wonder whether it is stronger for the actor to do his best to put the point of view of Karpov. It is a real point of view. If you accept that Capitalism is here to stay, you just have to do the best you can within the rules that are laid down etc.
The Factory Gate and Yard have been set up but we don't get to the scene. We promise ourselves we will do on Thursday and go away to prepare it.
Hopefully, it would not be apparent to the onlooker who was leading and who was following, such would be the care taken on both sides. B to take responsibility for A, not initiating moves that A can't follow, but A also being as accurate in following as she can. The partners then swop.
To this we later add sound which the copier must copy.
Talked about learning our Mother Tongue. Talked about learning a song or a dance routine, a ballet or some complex choreography. Talked about how we learn a script or a speech.
Talked about how, as kids, we don't bother to argue - we just learn. But with the growth of the ego in us, we want to find our for ourselves, 'Don't tell me!','I know!' etc. Ego is vital, particularly to the performer but not so good if it gets in the way of learning changing and developing, maybe.
Later, at the end of the class, Claire is telling how she teaches 5 year old kids to swim. So she too is a teacher; maybe a better teacher than her teacher. How if she sees a tummy sticking out she says: 'Whats that?' and pokes her finger at it to remind her little pupil that it shouldn't be sticking out. She can see things her pupils can't see. She knows things her pupils have yet to find out...
VOICE WORK
Students take one line from Scene Three of Brecht's The Mother: (eg: 'Gherkins, tobacco, tea, fresh pasties') and try saying them to the far wall or the person on the far side of the room. Then to a a small child in front of them. Then to someone behind them but nearer. Then to a fly on the ceiling or a person on the the roof above.
They are in the market. As traders they have to call their wares above the din of the other market traders.
TEXT
In pairs preparation of Scene Three. How many units or subsections has it got? What's the position of the character called Another Worker to the strike some of the workers are demanding? Why is Karpov behaving the way he's behaving?
To these and other questions we try to come to answers during the last 30 minutes. Some students are asked or volunteer to improvise the meeting with the boss that Karpov has just come from. Others act as witnesses to that meeting telling how it seemed from their point of view. Some actually take the role of Karpov and try to defend themselves against the charge of 'selling out' or collaborating AGAINST the workers.
We wonder whether it is stronger for the actor to do his best to put the point of view of Karpov. It is a real point of view. If you accept that Capitalism is here to stay, you just have to do the best you can within the rules that are laid down etc.
The Factory Gate and Yard have been set up but we don't get to the scene. We promise ourselves we will do on Thursday and go away to prepare it.
posted by Steve at 4:00 PM
2 Comments:
mondays lesson felt somewhat confusing and on leaving and finding a space in which to write up on the lesson, for the first time i was blank and could only think of the word ego. because we the students have made the choice to do this course should we not have already placed our own opinions away and out of the lesson, leaving our minds and bodies open for new changes in what we see and learn?
Thanks for this contribution, Anonymous. That's the theory, yes, but everyone has an agenda and some people have more difficulty overcoming their agendas than others.
I hope, finally, you managed to draw more than a blank. If not, leave it a while. There's always the blog to remind you the bare bones of Events. Later your own ideas may come more into focus.
Steve
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