Tuesday, May 11

VOICE
We did some breath work lying down, and started working with belly breathing. We've been studying Rib Swing breathing at our home campus. But actually, I don't think this is all that different. When we started with rib swing, we talked about filling from the stomach first. I didn't really adjust much, but Charmian said I was doing well.

At one point on the ground, she asked us to do some visualization involving the most comforting place in the world to us, as a way to aid in our release.

We stood in a circle and did some body releasing things. And we had an exercise where we connected with partners across a circle.

At the end of class, we each did a bit of Shakespeare so that Charmian could see where we are, and try to identify what we need help with. We all did things that we'd worked on with Acting Professoressa, but different things. Some people used sonnets, some used monologues, and some used parts of the scenes we'd worked on. I think I did something shorter than anyone else, but I thought it was enough for diagnostic purposes. It was part of my scene as Diana from All's Well That Ends Well (and D-Train kindly got up with me as a silent scene partner, which actually helped me to be a lot more calm and less nervous than I would've been otherwise).

Here's what I did:

"'Tis not the many oaths that makes the truth,
But the plain single vow that is vow'd true.
That which is not Holy, that we swear not by,
But take the High'st to witness: then pray you, tell me,
If I should swear by Jove's great attributes
I loved you dearly, would you believe my oaths
When I did love you ill? This has no holding,
To swear by him whom we protest to love,
That I will work against him. Therefore, your oaths
Are words and poor conditions, but unseal'd,
At least in my opinion."




OTHER STUFF
I went with Iceman, Two-Shots-Up, and D-Train to a show called Psy. And it rocked my world. WHOA.

An 11-member ensemble (just like my class!) are all characters with various types of mental illness (paranoia, insomnia schizophrenia, intermittent explosive disorder, multiple personality disorder, amnesia, sex addiction, agoraphobia, mania, hypochondria, & obsessive compulsive disorder) who are in group therapy. It's more of a show about acrobatics and circus skills than a traditional play, but the performers used their skills to tell a story. The circus work demonstrates their suffering, and with a couple of them, helps them to work through their problems. And it was gorgeous. Loved, loved, loved.

After the show, we went and met the performers. They were super-nice. And then we went out dancing with them. Let me tell you, there is no better group of people to go out dancing with than people with circus skills. They are so much fun!!! We mostly hung out with "Intermittent Explosive Disorder" (who is an American/Ukrainian), "Sex Addiction", "Amnesia", and "Schizophrenia" (who are all French). I don't remember the last time I had that much fun!